A Flower Made Out of Dust
by Irinazure
Summary: OCs "I was forced to live here. I had to protect the ones dear to me, but now I'm not so sure if I made the right decision." A story about how hatred can turn into love. Because love is never impossible. Please give it a try. I suck at summaries
1. Prologue

AN: My first attempt on an own story and a different take on this beautiful fairy tale. English is not my native language, so please excuse orthographical or grammatical mistakes. I would appreciate it if you would point them out. Please review and of course enjoy the first chapter!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1: Her story<strong>

When Georgiana was still a child of five years, she loved to listen to her mother telling her bedtime stories while she was sitting next to her daughter, stroking her auburn hair. They were tales about princes in shining armor, damsels in distress and horrid witches. In her dreams she saw herself as one of these beautiful princesses living together with her prince in a gigantic castle. She never wanted much for herself, but what she truly wished for was a happily ever after, just like in the stories.

But as the years drew by she lost more and more hope. Her mother, her dear Maman died the Winter Georgiana became eight.

She had never met her father, but it was generally said that he had never cared for anything besides a bottle or two of his beloved scotch and his mistress. Once he had been a wealthy man, one of the richest merchants in all of France. That was until he lost his ships and men to the sea. Gone was the precious cargo. Gone were the dreams of wealth and status.

He lost his income and spend the rest of his money on alcohol and women. When there was no more money left to spend, he threw himself of a small cliff and into the dark waters near the port of Marseille. He had left his pregnant widow and a son of fifteen behind. The son, Julien, died two months later in a duel and another four months later Georgiana was born. Having lost both, her husband and her son, the young woman found herself with a small child and neither money nor connections to help her.

Eight years she bore it, then a fever took her away from little Georgiana. The poor girl suddenly found herself alone in the world without anyone to care for her. Without her beloved mother. Hell, without even a roof over her head! How was she supposed to survive on her own in a city where she knew nobody?

Of course she had relatives from her mother's side, but they lived in England and she didn't spoke a word of the foreign tongue. And how was she to find these relatives anyway? She doubted they even knew of her. No, she could not go to England.

Let's face it. She was a little child and alone. She had no choice but to stay right were she was and hope for some change of fortune.

What became of her mother's corpse she never found out, but she hoped that someone had taken mercy on her and at least buried her properly.

The only thing she knew was that two drunken looking men came to take the white body while poor Georgiana tried to hold on the cold hand of her now dead mother, wich she had held even in her sleep for the past two days. Then she had still hoped that nothing was actually wrong and that her mother would awake and smile at her with that brilliant comforting smile of hers and Georgiana would be happy again.

But it was not to be. And when the men came and took the corpse, Georgiana knew that she would never see her mother again. She would never hear her calling her "ma petite fleur" with that melodic voice of hers. She would never feel her mother's embrace again. Georgiana had never cried that much in her entire life.

She didn't know what to do. How should she find something to eat or a place to sleep?

Her stomach growled so much, she knew she had to find something to fill it. Other homeless people pitied her enough to share with her their food from time to time.

But they also had to feed themselves and their own children and so Georgiana had to look after herself. She had seen a woman with a babe in her arms sitting on the ground and begging to the people passing by and had thought it to be rather easy. Her mother had never begged, but then she had found work in a shop. She had been once in that place and she could still remember the intoxicating aroma that hung in the air. It wasn't a big store, but everywhere she looked there were little flacons, all of them filled with a yellowish liquid. When she asked her mother what this liquid was, she replied with "Oh, ma petite. This is perfume. Don't you think it a beautiful scent? It reminds you of flowers and grass on a warm summer day."

And Georgiana could still smell the lilies, roses and herbs used in the fragrances. Ah, what an experience that had been. What a beauty.

But Georgiana also knew that her mother had only gotten to work in such a place as this because of her connections. She herself could never work there, they wouldn't let her. And she was to be proved right. When had went to that same shop a few days after her mother had died, they obviously thought of her as nothing but a filthy beggar. Well, she _had been _a filthy beggar, but that had been of little importance at the time.

And so she spend the days sitting in a corner, holding her bonnet in her tiny hands, either singing the songs her mother had taught her or crying. She did not earn much, but the money was enough to buy some bread and water. It was dangerous for a young girl of her age and she often was scared to death by the people who passed by, all in a hurry and most of them not even noticing her.

But as scary as Marseille during daytime was, it could not compare to the dark nights in a city full of thieves and straying dogs. Georgiana found herself a pitch black corner right next to a small bookshop belonging to a nice old man called Monsieur Rouge. There she would try to sleep every night, shivering from cold and fear. When she found she couldn't sleep, she would tell herself the tales her mother used to tell her, and with a tear sliding down a cheek and a smile on her lips she would finally fall into a deep slumber.

_Why, dear God, are you doing this to me? What have I done to offend you? Why did you take my Maman away from me? Why? I want my mother back! Maman! Maman! Come back to me!_

She did not know at that point that greater change was soon to come.


	2. An angel with brown breeches

Hey everyone, here's the second chapter. I don't like writing of Georgie as a child, but this part here is important for the storyline. I promise, in the next chapter she'll be no child anymore ;). Have fun and please R&R!

Disclaimer: Disney, Mme Villeneuve and Mme Le Prince de Beaumont are the owners of the basic storyline, but most of the characters and details belong to my imagination.

* * *

><p><strong> Chapter 2: An angel with brown breeches<strong>

One day, as Georgiana was sitting on the doorsteps of Monsieur Rouge's Bookshop, she suddenly saw a shadow in front of her. She looked at two dirty black shoes, dark grey stockings, and brown breeches, and stared upwards, only to encounter the face of a dirty bearded man in his late forties looking at her. A little cry escaped her lips.

"Don't be afraid of me, little one. I won't harm you." He seated himself next to her. "What is your name?"

"Georgiana, Monsieur."

"Georgiana, he? What a beautiful name. And what are you doing here all alone? Where is your mother?"

"She is dead, Monsieur." Georgiana tried to say it without breaking out in tears. She didn't know this man and wasn't sure if she could trust him, but it felt good to talk to somebody and he seemed to be nice.

"Dead? I truly am sorry to have caused you pain." The man did look like he terribly regretted his question.

"Don't be. It is not your fault, Monsieur. And she is in Heaven now with God."

He gave her a big smile. "Yes, Georgiana, I think you are right." A big pause followed, where neither of them said anything. Then suddenly the man addressed her again, this time determination in his voice. "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't you come with me? I don't have either much money nor am I a man of consequence, I am just a peasant. But I have a daughter and a son about the same age as you and I am sure that we all would be happy to have you living with us. It hurts my heart, thinking of you here alone, and in the middle of winter too. What do you think?"

Georgiana eyed him first, unsure of what to think of it. But the more she thought about it, the happier she grew. Having a family again. Living in a real house. And there where children too. _Oh dear God, please don't let this be a joke. _

The little girl could not be happier. She threw her arms around his neck and tears of happiness rolled down her cheeks. This could not be true.

"Yes, oh yes, please! Take me with you Monsieur!"

"Good, but…wait! I haven't even introduced myself. How impolite! What a shame!" He then bowed at her and said, his name was Hugo Bernière. "But you can call me Hugo." he added with another smile.

"It is very nice to meet you, Monsieur Hugo." Georgiana tried a rather unsteady courtesy, but fell down. Hugo took her hand and helped her up.

He then looked at her with a very disapproving glance. "How thin and small you are. Not much muscle left to hold you up, is there? We have to feed you up at our home. Oh, my wife makes the best sausage in the whole of France. _That_ will strengthen you up, believe me. Now come, we have to pick up Bénedict and then we can go."

"Who is Bénedict, Monsieur Hugo?"_ Another_ _child he had found on the street, perhaps?_

"Ha! Bénedict is my donkey. I brought him with me when I came today to sell some things at the market and left him since in the care of a friend. Actually, you could ride on him on the way home. He isn't very strong anymore, but the way is too long for you to walk and he surely can carry you."

"But will you not ride him, Monsieur Hugo?"

"No, I walk the route almost every day twice. I like the exercise. And I believe I'm too heavy for dear Bénedict."

They walked through half Marseille until they arrived at the market place. The donkey was tied on a still standing table. At the table, there was a old man with dark grey hair and bushy eyebrows sitting and playing with a ribbon, obviously bored.

When they approached him, he looked up, and immediately started to complain about some people and punctuality. But when he saw Georgiana, he stopped shouting at Hugo and asked her, who she was. Hugo answered him smiling, that this young lady was to become his new daughter.

How well that sounded in Georgiana's ears. To be someone's daughter again. She just couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear. She wanted to jump and just show the world her happiness.

When the three parted, the man gave her his ribbon as a present and wished her good luck. The little girl seated herself on the back of the animal. Then Georgiana, Hugo, and Bénedict the donkey left the city of Marseille.

Georgiana had never in her life been on the back of a donkey and of course she thought of it as a little adventure. It gave her an opportunity to see the world from a different view.

For a small girl, who had all of her young life spend in a city, the beauty of the French countryside was greater than anything she had ever seen before.

They travelled like this for a while, until Hugo started to ask her questions about her life. Her age, her birthday, what she liked and disliked. And in turn he told her about his farm and his family. And the girl loved to listen to his stories.

His daughter's name was Christine and she was nine. His son Edmond was two years his sister's senior. Of his wife Adelaide, he spoke with great affection. Georgiana could not wait to make their acquaintance.

On their journey they passed a huge forest. The little girl liked it so much, that she asked her new stepfather to whom these lands belonged.

"Nobody really knows. Some people say it belongs to a foreign gentleman or a general. But no one has ever seen him, so…I don't know."

"But he has to be very wealthy, indeed! Does he live in a castle? Like a prince in a fairytale? Oh, I should love to see a castle one day!" She stared at the fields and hills, the old trees and a big frozen lake_. It must be wonderful to live at a place like this_, she thought with awe. They came to a hold.

"Look at the horizon. There is his castle. I must say, it really does look like a fine thing. If the owner_ would_ only look after his tenants, I should think him a nice man. But not even they have seen him. Of course he keeps servants in the house, but they scarcely ever go outside, and no stranger is allowed to see him. Very strange, indeed!" Hugo looked deep in thought and they moved on.

"Does he have any family?" Georgiana continued to look at the house - or rather castle, as it looked like an old château with its dark towers and walls, standing against the white of the February sky.

"No, as far as I know he lives there alone. Look, there is a squirrel climbing up the tree! Christine used to keep a squirrel at home, but it died a few years later."

Hugo had obviously lost any further interest on the subject, but Georgiana could not keep herself from thinking about the castle and its owner. _He lives there without his Maman and Papa. He must be very lonely._

They travelled for another three hours and it was early evening when they finally arrived at a house made out of dark stone. It was a nice farm house, and though it was too dark to see anything more than shadows and shapes, Georgiana could tell that it was beautiful, with a garden and a forest at its backside. Here it was where she should live from now on.

A little black dog with a white dot over its left eye ran towards them and immediately started to bark at Georgiana. He wanted to play with her, but the girl was still sitting on the donkey. Luckily Bénedict did not try to throw her of. He was so calm an animal. Hugo took the dog to his side.

"Bad Toto! Is this the way you welcome a new family member? Georgiana, this is Toto. He is just very excited, that's all. Wait, I help you getting down, or you'll hurt yourself."

Georgiana was happy to have her feet on the ground. It had been very comfortable on the donkey's back, but she could feel how sore she had grown from the ride.

The door of the house suddenly opened and a worried looking woman stepped into the crisp night air. When she saw Hugo, her face lit up and she came to welcome the obviously tired man. "Hugo, I was worried! You are late and we thought something had happened to you! How was it? Did you sell anything? Today was a bad day for you to go to town. The pigs escaped again and some of them ran into the forest. Luckily, we could catch them all." Only then did she notice the little girl standing behind him.

She didn't ask. She did not want to know who this pale little girl was or why she was here. She just took the child by the hand and led her inside the house. Georgiana first thought, she had done something wrong. But then the woman told her to sit down and brought her a bowl of hot soup and a slice of bread. And Georgiana then realized, how hungry she really was and concentrated on her food. She had had never eaten soup before, but this one tasted delicious. She shoveled the steamy liquid into her mouth with her tiny hand gripping the spoon.

Only when she had finished eating, she realized that she was sitting at a large table with a woolen shawl around her shoulders while the woman was sitting opposite from her, together with Hugo, who tried to explain everything..

"So you see, my dear, I couldn't leave her there alone. She needs someone to take care of her." He obviously was on the edge of begging.

"Oh alright. You and your charities Hugo. But you are right." Then she turned to Georgiana. "But what is your name, ma fille?"

"Georgiana, Madame."

"What a pretty name. And how old are you? Not older than ten, to be sure."

"I am eight years old."

"Only eight! Then you are very young. Oh, Christine and Edmond will be very happy! Come. I shall introduce you to our children."

But before they could even move, one of the side doors opened and a giggling girl with golden locks and a slightly taller boy with hair in the color of honey came jumping towards them.

"Yay! I will have a sister! I will have a sister! I always wanted a sister!" cried the girl while dancing around the table.

"Christine, you weren't listening at the door again, were you?" their mother suddenly sounded very tired.

"I tried to stop her, Maman. I told her, you would get mad, but she wouldn't listen." The little boy, Edmond, said.

"Are you now mad with us?"

"No, I'm not mad with you, Christine, but I told you that it is rude to listen to other people's private conversations when originally you should already lie in bed. Anyway, this" and she again took Georgiana's hand in hers and gave it a comforting squeeze, "is Georgiana. She's going to live here with us from now on and I expect from both of you to treat her as one of the family, because that's what she is now - a part of this family."


	3. Time has passed

A/N: Hey guys, I couldn't update sooner, because from this week on we'll have exams every two days until October. But I'll try to update once a week. Thanks a lot for the nice reviews they really made my day. So have fun with the new chap.

Disclaimer: I've already mentioned it in the first two chapters.

**Chapter 3: Time has passed**

Today was a sunny day. And what a beautiful sunny day. The air smelled like fresh bread, taken only seconds before out of the oven, mixed with the scent of grass and lavender. It was to be one of the last sunny days this year, as it was the middle of October.

A young woman was lying on the grass, her auburn hair shining in the afternoon sun and her eyes looking at the different shapes of clouds on the sky. She had worked all day, helping Adelaide bake the breads and cakes for the party tomorrow, assisting the other women harvesting the apples and pears and she had to take care of little Marie, the four year old daughter of Monsieur Robert. But now she could just lie down here and enjoy the warmth of the sun on her face and lower arms.

"Georgie!" a voice shouted from the house in what almost resembled agony.

_Well, I guess this is it. My break has finished. _And she stood up, walking back to the large farm house.

In case you have not noticed yet, dear reader, this is our Georgiana. Ten years have passed since we last saw her, when she was found by Monsieur Hugo and welcomed by his family. Ten wonderful, happy years.

Hugo, as she had never known her real father, soon became her Papa and even though Georgie still remembered and missed her real mother, she often caught herself calling Adelaide her Maman. She had got two wonderful parents and if that wasn't enough, she had also found a sister and a friend in Christine. Well, with Edmond…I will try to explain that later, as their relationship was a little different.

"Georgie! Come and help me now, please! I'm in a crisis!" Christine was in her room, holding several dresses in her arms and looking completely insane. Georgiana tried hard not to laugh, but could not help it. She laughed so hard, that her chest started to hurt.

"Don't laugh at me! I need help! Tomorrow is the party and I have nothing to wear. I mean, look at this one for example" and she held up a beautiful blue gown. "I simply cannot wear _that_! It's my best gown and yet, it is not good enough for tomorrow. Michel's family and friends will be here tomorrow. I don't want him to feel embarrassed for his fiancée."

"But he loves you Christine. He doesn't care weather your clothes are expensive and neither should his family." Georgiana could not believe that they were having this conversation right now.

Michel Danglars was only a young merchant sailor, but with the prospect of becoming captain on his own ship one day. Handsome and lively, he often was the center of female attention and his good manners brought him many friends. But the most important fact was that he loved Christine and that she returned his affections. They were simply made for each other. Georgiana only knew him a few months, but she was convinced that her sister was to be the happiest of women.

"He may not care but I certainly do. You haven't met his mother. I did and I can tell you, that she despises me for not being at least an earl's daughter."

"But this is just the engagement party. You two have more than a month to become better acquainted. Maybe she turns out to be nicer than you thought"

"I know…but I can't help it. I feel uncomfortable around her." Christine looked at the floor, her fingers toying with the ribbons and strings of the dress in her hand.

"Well then she doesn't know what she loses. And anyway, what's wrong with the dress? It makes your eyes sparkle. I thought Michel had told you that he loved this gown on you."

"He did, but…Do you really think this will do for the dinner tomorrow?"

Georgiana had to smile a little. Even though Christine was one year older than herself, she reminded her of how her sister looked when she was still a young girl of nine years.

Her clear blue eyes directed on the floor, her cheeks burning in a pink blush.

Georgie closed the distance between them and hugged her sister. Suddenly she could understand Christine. Her friend was not worried for herself but for her love. Something she herself had never felt.

"Believe me, it is perfect. But I could help you embroider it a little, if that would make you more comfortable."

"Thank you, Georgie. Really. I…I don't even know why I'm making this whole drama, but I'm nervous."

"Don't be Chrissy. You already own Michel's heart, and tomorrow you will win over his relations."

They broke away and Christine looked again at the pretty blue gown, that was now lying on the floor.

"You are right! Tomorrow shall be a success!" And after kissing Georgiana's cheeks she left to find Adelaide, leaving Georgie alone in their bedchamber.

_What chaos a simple wedding can bring into ones life_. With a deep sigh she sat on her bed, looking at the crumpled gowns, ribbons and necklaces left on her sister bed.

_What a mess_, she thought, but she wasn't in the mood to put them away.

She sat there for a while, until a knock on the door made her realize that Edmond was standing there smiling at her.

"Hey we all looked for you. Father and Chris almost thought that the pigs had eaten you. Have you been sitting here for long?"

Before she could answer him they heard Hugo swearing furiously.

"Zut! Has anyone found that girl? Edmond, tell her that…"

Georgiana could only shake her head. "I'm here Papa!"

"Oh, good…Now please help your sister with her dress before she kills us all with her hysterics."

Georgiana and Edmond shared an amused look. Hugo rarely swore, and if he did so, he never meant it, so it was rather funny.

They stood silent for a long time, until Edmond started to speak.

"I fear that Christine is a little bit over-exited about the celebration of her engagement with what's-his-name-again."

Georgiana knew that he was happy not only for his sister's sake. He and Michel had been friends since many years. But Edmond also loved to tease her as often as possible.

"Don't blame her. She's nervous that's all. I only hope that it won't be the same the night before the wedding."

"Well, I think that we both know her well enough to know that it'll probably be worse. I can't wait for her to leave."

"Right, like we all don't know how much you love her. She's your baby sister after all."

"She may be my 'baby sister', but this doesn't give her the right to get on my nerves."

Georgiana could see it in his eyes, that he was lying.

She stood up from her bed and walked towards him, embracing his tall figure with her slender arms. How good it felt to be held by him.

She loved each member of her family dearly, but with Edmond it was somehow different. She couldn't say if she loved him more, but she compared the feelings - innocent and harmless as they were - she held for him with the ones Christine and Michel shared. He always made her smile. He made her feel free.

Edmond kissed her cheek. "Promise me you won't behave that way when we get married one day."

Georgiana laughed and together they walked out of the room to join the others.

"I promise."


	4. Bad news

AN: Hey everyone. Today something strange happened - I had the complete opposite of a writer's block and managed to write two chapters. Wow, he? I have alot of ideas for this story. Hope you like it . And thanks to MyahLyah for the encuraging reviews. You rock !

Ok, have fun and please r&r!

Disclaimer: look at the explanation in the first two chapters.

**Chapter 4: Bad news**

The engagement festivities had been a great success and Christine looked stunning in her blue gown. Georgiana had helped her embroider it with motives of birds and flowers, but they hadn't changed a lot. Every guest - Madame Danglars as well - agreed that even the queen of France was not half as beautiful as Christine. Michel couldn't take his eyes of her.

After dinner had finished the band had begun to play some jolly music and the whole party danced for the rest of the evening. Georgiana herself had danced four sets with Edmond and two with Michel, but only when the latter could allow himself to let go of his fiancée's hand, of course.

Georgiana was happy. She could see the deep love and affection in the couple's eyes when they exchanged glances. No one could doubt that the two were made for one another.

Three days had passed since then. Michel had to leave for Italy, but would return in less than a month, which gave the two families enough time to plan the wedding. Christine and Adelaide even persuaded Hugo to take them to Marseille, so that they could find the perfect wedding gown.

Only she and Edmond had stayed back. As Georgiana was outside on the meadow, picking dandelions and poppies to make a nice bouquet for the dinner table, she heard someone coming close to her from behind. The next moment she felt two hands falling over her eyes and hot lips whispering in her ear. She didn't have to turn around to know exactly who it was.

"Edmond, how dare you surprise a lady in such a manner. Really, shame on you!" But her dazzling smile betrayed her. She loved to joke around with him and he always played along.

"But My Lady, I sincerely apologize for my rude manners, please allow me to present you with a gift to assure you of my admiration and loyalty towards Your Ladyship." And he bowed elegantly, his strong hands capturing hers and leaving a small round item in her palm. When she opened her hand, she saw what his present was – a tiny heart carved out of wood from a hazelnut tree. It was beautiful. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Edmond."

"My pleasure." And he took a lock of hair that had escaped from the loose knot on her nape, toying with it while locking his eyes with hers. They stood like this for a while, enjoying the feeling of holding each other. Then Edmond sighed.

"I wish I didn't have to go now. Actually, I believe, excepting Marcèl's invitation was a bad idea."

"But you haven't seen each other for weeks, and besides I know how much you enjoy hunting."

"I'd much rather stay here with you." She almost lost herself in the depth of his ocean blue eyes.

"I know…but I also know that you will regret it, should you miss this. So don't let Marcèl wait and return with a large deer for dinner."

"Actually, it would be illegal to kill a deer in these woods, as the land belongs to the governor*. Do you want me to end up in prison?"

"Oh, well…I guess it would be better for us if you wouldn't become a ruthless criminal. Who would help Hugo with the harvest? You are the strongest man here, after all. No, we can't have you sitting in prison." Her eyes twinkled with mirth as she said this. He only shook his head, lingered with his lips almost too long on the back of her right hand for it to be regarded as proper for two unmarried young people, and went of to the stables – not without turning twice midway to look at the woman he so obviously loved. Then he was gone.

_I don't deserve him_. It was too good, too perfect. She could not keep the smile from appearing.

She had cleaned the house and feed the chickens and after a while - as she had nothing specific to do - she went to visit Monsieur Robert and his children.

When Georgiana had first arrived at Hugo's home, she didn't understand why the family could afford so many luxuries, common peasants as they were, but Hugo explained that they could afford all of this because they lived in a sort of private community together with two other families. The families shared their land, their food and sometimes their money and worked together in every possible way. They trusted each other and that is how the whole system worked.

So while farmers all over the country were starving to death they could live pretty well by helping each other.

Clever, isn't it?

Monsieur Robert was one of the farmers in their little community. His wife had only died four years ago while giving birth to their daughter Marie.

Marie had inherited her father's hazel eyes and dimples, but her character resembled her mother's. While Monsieur Robert was a very silent man who scarcely ever talked or laughed, his wife had been the complete opposite. She had been the liveliest and funniest woman Georgiana had ever known and she had often visited her for her advise or to hear a good joke. She had been deeply affected when she had heard of the woman's death.

But no one had grieved more over Madame Robert's death than her husband. Although he had rarely displayed it publicly, he had loved her dearly. Now he was left behind with three children. But he was a good man and Georgiana enjoyed taking care of the children and helping him in the household.

"Mademoiselle Gee, Mademoiselle Gee!" before Georgiana could fully understand what was happening, she was already on the ground, a bunch of light brown curly hair and hay clutching onto her arm. Yep, the bunch was actually Marie.

"Mademoiselle, have you brought me something? Can we play together, please?"

"Marie, what happened to you? Your hair is a mess. Have you been playing the whole morning in the stables again?" Both stood up, while Georgiana tried to free the girl's hair from hay and grass. She could not understand how a four year old girl could be _so_ _messy_.

"Where are your brother's? Is your father not at home?"

"No, Mademoiselle, they're on the field with the Messieurs Martins. I'm all alone and now I want to play. Oh, can we play hide and seek? I love hide and seek."

"Of course, but" And with a huge smirk, the elder girl whispered into the younger one's ear. "First you have to catch me." And she ran away, her hair dancing in the wind, the little girl laughing behind her. They ran, and ran, and Georgiana even let little Marie catch her five times, something the little girl was very proud of.

They were just playing their fifth round of hide and seek near a small river not far away from the farmstead, when Georgiana suddenly saw a rider approaching at high speed. She recognized the rider – it was Edmond's friend Marcèl - but no sign of Edmond. Georgiana was instantly alarmed.

"Mademoiselle Gee, what…" Marie too understood now that something was wrong.

"Mademoiselle Georgiana, Mademoiselle, help! Help, please!" Marcèl stopped right in front of them, jumping of the horse at a full gallop. He looked uncommonly pale.

"Mon Dieu! Monsieur, what happened? Is Edmond alright? My goodness, you are injured! Come…come with us to the house. Let me help you." Georgiana tried to take him by the arm, but he would not allow it. Instead he took her hand in his and looked her straight in the eye, scaring the young woman, who had never seen him this agitated before.

"No, don't be afraid for myself…for it is Edmond who is in great danger now. The beast…the beast took him"

"I don't understand! What do you mean? What happened to Edmond? What beast?"

She was on the edge of shaking the poor injured man to death, if only this would help her understand his words.

"The castle…horrid creature…Edmond." Then he lost consciousness.

&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b

AN: Hehe, cliffhanger ). Okay some explanation: The story takes place during the reign of king Louis XIV of France in the years 1772 and 1773. *Camille-Louis de Lorraine was then governor of Provence. Hope this helps you understand some aspects of the story.


	5. A journey to a place unknown

AN: Ok, I know this chap is short, but it is extremely important. What can I say, I had enough inspiration. Please enjoy&review ;)

Small sneak peek: Google "the Beast of Gévaudan". This case will actually take a huge part in the story.

**Chapter 5: A journey to a place unknown**

_What happened to Edmond? _

This was the question spinning in her head since their encounter with Marcèl. Marie and Georgiana had brought the unconscious man with effort to the eating parlor of Georgiana's home. The young woman had boiled some water to make tea for the poor man, while Marie hurried to the Martins's house to seek help. Monsieur Robert heard the noise and was anxious to see if something had happened to his daughter. How relieved he was to see his daughter well – and how shocked the others, on encountering poor Marcèl lying pale and bleeding on the dining table.

Luckely, Madame Martin was an expert when it came to stop a bleeding, and so, after some long hours full of praying and hoping, Marcèl finally opened his eyes.

Although weak and still white as a sheet, he managed to tell them his story, while being feed with soup and bread by the women.

He and Edmond had been on horseback for quite some time without spotting a good prey. Marcèl had wanted to return home, when suddenly Edmond had shown him a wild boar, standing only a few meters in front of them. The two men had been exited about their good fortune and Edmond had aimed with his gun at the animal.

Just before he fired, a huge animal, unlike everything they had ever heard of, had pulled both men of their horses. The beast had stood right before them, its teeth glistening in the sunlight, its eyes of a burning red. It had black fur and was twice the size of a wolf.

They both had thought that it would slay them right away, but it had only turned and attacked Edmond's horse, killing the poor animal instantly. Then the most horrible growl ever to be made by an animal had come from its lips, flushing the birds in the forest, and before either man could have reacted, it had struck Marcèl with its paw, and taken Edmond with it.

Marcèl, whose horse had strangely stayed near by, saw that the creature was running towards the castle, which was only a mile up the hill, hurried to inform the others of Edmond's fate and to safe his own life.

"I'm a coward. I could've done something, anything. But I just stood there, too frightened to safe my best friend. I should be ashamed."

"Don't say that!" Georgiana laid her hand on his shoulder. "You are not responsible for what happened in the woods. Right now, it's important to find out how to find Edmond."

"Yes, but Mademoiselle"

"Didn't you say the beast was on its way to the castle? Edmond might be there."

"Yes, but…Mademoiselle!"

But Georgiana was determined. She had to go find both the beast and Edmond, or otherwise it would be her fault if something should happen to Edmond. She could never live without him – such a life was impossible to imagine.

"Mademoiselle, do…do you mean to go to the castle? You can't do that! It's dangerous! And no one has ever seen the master before. There's no assurance that you or anybody is welcomed there."

"But I have to! I must depart immediately." And with this she stood up and walked straight to the stables.

"Georgiana, please! Please don't go. Think of your parent's, your sister. They haven't returned yet from the city. How shall I explain to them that their son has been killed by a monster and their youngest daughter has followed him?" Madame Martin had followed her outside and looked as if she was prepared to drag Georgiana into the house with her own hands, if this would be necessary.

"You don't have to." Georgiana was already saddling their last horse.

"But this is mad!"

"I can't leave Edmond like this, knowing that I was responsible for his death!" Silence followed her statement. The girl tried hard not to cry and eventually won over the tears. But the old lady had already understood.

"Are you sure?" She did not only mean the girl's sudden departure.

"Yes, yes I am."

"Well…then I have to let you go." The old woman took the young one's hands into hers and gave them a comforting squeeze. Both weren't sure if they would ever see each other again.

"Tell Maman, Papa and Chrissy that I love them more than anything else in the world." _I would do the same for them_. With that Georgiana climbed onto her horse and rode of into the now dark landscape, guided by the moonlight.

_b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b_

To Monsieur

Antoine de Beauterne, Officer of the Royal Bedchamber, Lieutenant of the Hunt

Mon Seigneur,

I am utterly disturbed by some news that lately reached my ears. Rumors say, that the horrible massacre that has occurred in Gévaudan, is to be continued in Bouches-du-rhône. I have reason to believe that there are several cases at present, all of them showing the same signs as the one's found during the investigations in Gévaudan. I have followed your work with great interest and hope that you can help me with this current problem.

However, I must have you promise that none of this will reach the ears of the king, as his majesty's knowledge would only cause further delay.

I await your response with great anticipation.

Camille-Louis de Lorraine, Governor of Provence


	6. A cry in the darkness

Hey it's me again. Ok, so from this chap on, there won't be any sweet fluff scenes as it was the case with the first four. From now on, a darker side of the story begins, probably with lots of angst in it, so if you don't like, don't continue to read. If you do like it, I hope you'll enjoy the new chapter. Have fun and if you have some time to spare, please leave a comment

Disclaimer: basic storyline belongs to Disney, Villeneuve and Le Prince de Beaumont and a lot is based on the case of the Beast of Gévaudan.

**Chapter 6: A cry in the darkness**

It was a very tranquil night. The moon and the stars on the clear night sky lit up the world, exposing everything, hiding nothing. Only the sound of a horse running through the dark woods, its hooves barely touched the ground.

She had been riding for what felt like days, but in fact was less then an hour. She began to grow impatient.

_I hope, that I took the right way. But…yes, there's the château. I'm coming, Edmond, I'm coming_.

She pushed her mare further and soon they reached the tall iron gates of the estate. Georgiana dismounted and on seeing that they were not locked, she opened them and entered the forecourt, the horse's harness still in her hand.

She looked up. Everything was so big and dark. The walls, the roofs of the towers, the windows – all appearing black and forsaken. No lights were to be seen. She could not believe, how someone could choose to live in such a deserted place.

Then a scream was heard, that ran through every bone in her body. The girl was horrified. But it had been a voice – a male voice.

_He's still alive_.

She could not wait any longer. Pushing the large doors open with all force she could afford, she entered the building and without thinking sprinted through the long corridors, more screams and cries leading her.

She did not know were she was, but suddenly the screams of pain had ended and only a small whimper resounded in the now silent atmosphere.

She had to be very close. The lass stood still while her eyes searched the room fanatically for something, anything.

It was a dungeon she found herself in, without any windows or holes in the wall, the only source of light being a lonely candle in its holder on the mural. Only then did her eyes drift to the bundle lying on the floor – Edmond.

Within a heart beat she was sitting right to him, holding his blood smeared hands in her small one, caressing his white face with the other one. She gasped, when she saw the bleeding bite marks on his arms and face. Who had done this to him?

He tried to move, not yet recognizing her, but was too weak, and another whimper came across his lips. She wanted to calm him down, to hold him still, so he would not hurt himself and looked into his now frightened looking eyes.

"Shhhh, don't move. Please don't move. You're too much injured. Let me stop the bleeding first" She ripped out stripes of her dress and used them as bandages. "Please don't move. Everything will be fine."

Her fingers were shaking, trying to close the lesions as good as possible. Then she heard his shaky voice.

"You…you came…how?"

"Shhh, of course I came. I couldn't leave you here. I…I…I had to find you." She tried not to cry and succeeded. No way would she upset Edmond even further.

"No! No, you must…return! He'll kill you!"

"What do you mean? Who has done this to you?"

"He'll kill you!" His eyes directed towards one dark corner of the dungeon.

Before Georgiana could understand what he was saying a deep growl out of this corner made Edmond wince. She turned around to see, who or what else was in the room, but could not see anyone. The suddenly a shadow moved on the wall, and a tall man walked into the light of the candle.

"Well, that was heart wrenching." A dark voice hidden by a black cloak said. Georgiana stood up, placing herself in front of Edmond, in order to protect him from this person. Whoever this was, he had obviously hidden in the corner since she had come.

"Who are you?"

"Me? I'm the owner of this castle. But I cannot remember inviting you here. Now if you please, I would like to continue with this business." Georgiana felt like she had a lump in her throat. What did this man think this was? A game!

"I won't leave him!"

A sardonic laughter sounded under the cloak. "How romantic, but this is not something a young girl should see, don't you think? It can get…quite messy some times."

"I won't let you harm him anymore! Can't you see he's injured? Please, please let me take him with me. He needs help, he needs his family. We won't bother you anymore. Please!"

Every little bit of humor had left the man's voice now, and he sounded angry.

"I can't allow that."

"But, but why?"

"Because, you see, your friend has messed with thing's that don't concern him in the slightest. He has to be punished for this, otherwise it wouldn't be fair."

"What kind of monster are you! Have you no mercy left within you! You'll let us leave now, or I'll call the soldiers."

This seemed to help, because the man did not reply for a while. Then, suddenly sounding tired, he began. "I can't."

"Then let me stay here as a hostage. Only let him go!"

Then Edmond interfered. He tried to stand up behind Georgiana, but his legs would not carry him, and he fell down again. "No! Georgiana, I won't let you! You…can't do this! Go! Save yourself!"

"Ha! You would actually stay here as my prisoner, while he runs like a child back home? I'm sorry if I cannot trust you. He will go straight to the police."

"He won't. I trust him."

"Oh you trust him. And yet you give your freedom for his."

"I love him!" The lump in her throat grew bigger and bigger. If she had to spend the rest of her life in this godforsaken place together with this…this monster, then she would gladly do so, as long as Edmond would be safe.

"A very unequal love, if you ask me. Do you really think him worth it?"

"Yes, with all my heart." She felt Edmond's hand in hers, begging her to consider. But her mind was made up.

"Then so be it. But don't think me stupid. I will know, when this pathetic thing will report me. If he does so, you'll be dead." And without paying any further attention to Edmond or herself, he turned and left them both alone in their misery.

"Georgiana, how could you do this? He will kill you as soon as I'm gone"

"Then I will die a happy woman, knowing that you are safe together with Maman, Papa and Christine."

"But…"

"Wouldn't you do the same for me?"

He did not reply and together they sat in complete silence for a while, holding each other.

b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b

After what had felt like seconds they heard people descending the stairs to the dungeons and soldiers entered the cell the two of them were sitting in. They dragged Edmond away from Georgiana and up the stairs. She could hear him calling her name from outside, promising her to come and free her soon. She tried not to listen, his words hurt so much.

Her head was aching and her limps shaking. Nonetheless did she manage to stand on her feet, when the door was once again pushed open. She thought He had come to finish this once and for all, but then she saw the elderly woman walking towards her, a candlestick in her tiny hand.

"My Goodness, you poor girl. I knew this was a bad idea. Don't be frightened, ma belle. My name is Clarice and I will bring you to your rooms."

"My rooms? But I thought…"

Clarice took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "He wanted you to stay here, but I won't allow that. You don't deserve to be here, this is no place for a young girl such as you. Come, I will tell Stefanie to run you a nice warm bath, does that not sound well?"

Georgiana eyed her warily. She didn't know this woman, but didn't want to stay down here either. And the idea of a warm bath sounded so wonderful.

Together they left the cold dungeons and stepped into dimly lighted corridor. They passed through several rooms and aisles, Clarice holding her hand all the time.

They had stopped at the end of an especially long passageway, in front of a large white door.

"So these are your chambers. If you need anything, please let me know. Stefanie will be here in a minute." Then she pushed the doors open.

Georgiana barely managed to nod, but the old lady seemed to be satisfied and walked away, leaving the young woman alone in her new rooms.

She looked around. Green and white wallpaper, huge windows on the eastern wall, a marble fireplace with a comfortable looking couch in front on the northern side, and bookshelves on the wall next to her. She saw that there even was a second room behind the fireplace, in it the biggest bed Georgiana had ever seen. The whole apartment was exquisite and not too overdone with decoration or colors, but Georgiana could not pay attention to the splendor surrounding her.

_I had to do it. I had to save Edmond. Thank God he's safe now. I will never see him again._

A knock on the door made her stiffen. But the person who entered was no man in a black cloak, but a young girl about her age with long blond curls and carrying towels in her hands.

"Excusez-nous, Mademoiselle. We're here to run you a bath?" This had to be Stefanie.

Georgiana let her enter and Stefanie put the towels on a near table, returning to carry a heavy basin filled with hot water inside. A slightly younger looking girl with long black hair carrying another two followed her.

While they filled a bathtub with the steaming liquid, Georgiana observed them. Stefanie, could have been Christine's twin, were it not for the brown eyes and an obvious shyness. The other girl - Isabeau – tried to engage Georgiana in conversation, but abandoned the task, as Georgiana only gave short replies.

Both, Stefanie and Isabeau were to be her maids from now on, as Stefanie explained to her.

"You can come to us, should you need anything. We're happy to help you."

Georgiana only nodded in their direction, but suddenly remembered something.

"Where is my horse?"

"What horse?" Isabeau looked confused

"The mare I came here with. I left her outside in the courtyard.

"Oh, that horse. The stable boy brought her to the stables. You don't need to worry about that."

"Thank you."

"Our pleasure." And with that, both girls left the room. She was once more alone with her thoughts.

The bath helped her a lot. She hadn't realized how sore she had been after the long ride, but when she climbed into the bath tub, her aching muscles were no longer to be ignored. A shaky sigh escaped her lips.

She stayed like this until the water had cooled down, and Stefanie came to bring her night dress and lit up the fire. "Good night, Mademoiselle."

It was only then, as Georgiana was lying in her bed in the darkness, that she finally allowed herself to cry.


	7. New aqcuaintances

AN: Hey guys. Somehow I feel that there aren't many people interested in the story, although I know a few who probably read from time to time. If you are interested then please leave a comment, or I might quit writing. Just kidding, but one or two comments from other readers would really help. Anyway, enjoy the new chap!

**Chapter 7****: New aqcuaintances**

In the next four days Georgiana refused to leave her rooms. Only Stefanie and Isabeau entered once in a while, to bring her food or to change the bed sheets. But most of the time she was alone, and this was good. She wanted to be alone.

But the fifth day she could bare it no longer. After washing her face and putting on one of her new dresses she – much to the staff's surprise – left her room for the first time since she came.

It was a rather rainy morning, the sky still dark and clouds hiding the rising sun, so she decided to make herself familiar with the interior.

Now, walking through the corridors, she did not think of the place as horrible as she had on coming here. The interior was actually beautiful, the colors red brown and gold everywhere to be found. The rooms were dark, but with large windows, so sunlight had no difficulty streaming inside. And the pieces of art to be found – what an exquisite taste!

After a while she heard people talking and giving orders to one another, and eventually found herself in the kitchen. On her entering every single servant stood still and looked at her with great surprise. Georgiana wanted to open her mouth, to say anything, but found this to be unnecessary, as Isabeau, followed by Stefanie came out of the crowd and both girls – to everybody's greater surprise – embraced Georgiana like a friend.

"Bonjour, Mademoiselle. What a nice surprise. Are you hungry? Today the cook made brioche with chocolate* in it. You simply have to try this. Believe me when I say that it is the best food in the world." And she took Georgiana's hand and led the young woman to the fresh sweets. She had never tried brioche or chocolate before, as both were considered luxuries and quite expensive ones, but she had to admit that Isabeau was right – they were marvelous.

Everyone, except Isabeau felt a little awkward, so the black-haired girl decided to introduce her "mistress" to the castle's stuff. There weren't many people working here – not that Georgiana had an actual idea of how many people were normally employed in such a great house, but she supposed that there usually were more.

She met the cook – Monsieur Laurent – and thanked him for the excellent food, she had eaten for the last couple of days. But he only smiled at her. "It's been my pleasure."

The two stable boys, the gardeners, the maidservants and hall boys, all were extremely nice to her, and did not blame her, for not leaving her room. She was grateful for that. But someone was missing.

"Where is Madame Clarice? I met her the first night."

"Oh she's probably with the master. She's the housekeeper, you know, and more to do than the rest of us combined. She'll be downstairs soon." Marguerite – one of the maids – replied. And so it was. While talking to Isabeau and Stefanie about her family and how she missed them, Clarice entered. Her face lit up, when she noticed how close the three girls already were.

"Bonjour, Mademoiselle. I'm happy to see you here. I hope these two chatterboxes are not bothering you?" She spoke with good humor in her voice and Georgiana knew, she was joking.

"Oh, but Madame, it is not nice of you to talk of us in such a way. We'll leave then, as we are no longer welcomed here. Come Stefanie."

"But if you leave, you'll never be able to eat Laurent's brioche again. Wouldn't that be too bad, indeed?" After this Isabeau looked like considering the idea, jokingly placing her fingers under her chin. The whole exchange was hilarious and both Georgiana and Stefanie tried hard not to laugh. _Just like at home._ Georgiana's features darkened a little.

"I knew it!" Clarice seated herself next to them, and the three servants began to discuss the business of the day.

"What would you like to eat today, Mademoiselle?" Clarice asked her after a while.

"I don't understand." Georgiana was confused.

"Well, as our guest it is I believe only just if you chose the menu."

"But…what will your master say?"

"Don't bother yourself with that. The master never eats here, so he won't be disturbed by this action."

_What does she mean by this? He never eats here? Yet he keeps a cook. I don't understand. He probably thinks, he's too fine for his own cook's meals._

"Anyway, I have to go now. Visit the poor. Madame Crousseaux needs help with the children, now that the ninth one is on its way." Clarice stood up and searched for a basket.

"But isn't the duty of the castle's mistress…as far as I know?" Georgiana's farm belonged to a large estate, although not as large as this one, and she remembered the mistress and her daughters visiting nearly once a week to listen to their problems.

"Well, yes. Usually it is, but as this house doesn't have a mistress, it becomes the housekeeper's responsibility. And I like it actually." She had found a basket, and began to fill it now with fruit and blankets.

_Really? No mistress? I sincerely wonder how this can be, for he's such a gentleman!_ Georgiana tried to not show her entertainment too openly.

"Then…well, please allow me to join you."

"I fear I cannot do that. You gave the master a promise that you are never to leave the château's grounds. Maybe in the future, but for now we don't want to provoke him into doing something he's sure to regret some day. Isabeau, would you be so nice as to join me?"

"Of course, Madame." Isabeau took the heavy basket out of the old woman's hands and together they left the kitchen, leaving Georgiana and Stefanie behind.

The two girls sat like this for a while, talking about this and that, and Georgiana was comforted by the thought that even though she would never see her family again, she would at least not be alone in this place.

"How about I show you the gardens?" Stefanie suggested after a while.

"That would be great, but…isn't that forbidden? What will Madame Clarice say?"

"Oh, no, don't worry. As long as you don't try to run away, we can go for a walk there…You won't run away, will you?"

Georgiana really considered the idea, but remembered her promise. She wouldn't be the one to break hers, and she wouldn't give this beast a reason to track down her family."

"No, I won't."

"Oh good, because I think Isabeau and Madame would never forgive me if you would. And you'll see. Life here isn't that bad."

After borrowing a suitable rain cloak from one of the maidservants the two girls stepped out of the kitchen's exits leading to the stables and gardens. It was raining, the sky dark with heavy clouds, but neither were disturbed by this. Georgiana took a deep breath, taking in the scent of wet grass and fresh oxygen. She did not know how she could survive almost a week, without ever leaving the building. She was a nature's child who needed her strolls through the wide fields and woods surrounding her family's farmland.

They ran through the rose bushes and labyrinths, and still had not seen everything. The gardens were too big, and Georgiana decided that she would explore the rest as soon as possible, before winter snow and coldness would make it impossible.

They spend hours playing like children in the rain, and when they returned to the house, they were greeted by Monsieur Laurent with a cup of hot tea.

Georgiana felt like she had breathed freely for the first time since weeks. What she didn't know – she had been observed by a black clothed figure, hiding himself behind the heavy curtains of one of the château's windows.

b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b

It was night once more. The clouds that had hidden the cold November sun earlier that day had vanished and the moon hung above the hills and rivers of the French countryside.

Two figures - the one a tall young man, the other a short old woman – were arguing in hushed voices under the shadows of the grand castle.

"What took you so long? I told you that I needed four days ago."

"Young master, you know that it takes take to prepare it, otherwise the impact isn't the one desired."

"Don't call me _Young _master! I'm far older than you."

"And yet you can't control yourself as someone of _your_ age ought to."

"Don't tell me how I ought to behave! You are here only for one reason, and were it not for your skills I would send you back to where you came from." The man talked himself into a rage. His face was hidden by a heavy cloth, but Clarice knew that she was in no danger of him.

"Do you want it now or not?" And she offered him a small flask. Without saying a word, the man took the flask out of her hand and drank the burning liquid it contained, gasping at the pain that ran like fire through his whole body, before it finally shrank into a nagging throb in his chest.

"I praise the day I don't have to drink this brew any longer."

"We both know very well that this day may never come. You need this in order to be discreet."

"Ha! Even the farmers begin to notice I'm here." And with a lower voice he continued. "I almost killed Her today. I'm no longer sure about this. Maybe I should just kill her now, quick and painless."

"And lead the soldiers to you? No, I cannot allow that. Not after what happened in Gévaudan."

"You don't know what it feels like. To have the scent of youth and strength fill your lungs, to want to kill someone so badly. She was soaked through after her walk in rain today. It was even worse to bear." He looked at her with an almost animalistic look.

"I know, but you have to endure it. Just for a couple of years. The governor knows, and you have to be even more carful than before. The government doesn't tolerate such games. They will track you down once and for all, and I cannot allow that."

"It would be easier for everyone if they actually did. I'm tired of thisgame, as you put it."

"You know that this isn't true. He has plans for you. There's a purpose in every life. Go now! No one will see you."

The old lady put her hand on his shoulders. She looked him straight in the eye, not intimidated by the coldness meeting her. The man pulled of his cloak and shirt, putting both in Clarice's hands. Then he turned and ran away, his figure disappearing in white light.

"Take care, young master." The woman's eyes following him, until he had reached the old trees of the nearby forest.


	8. Frightening eyes

AN: Hey everyone, sorry it took so long for me to update, but our teachers are killing us with exams and homework these two weeks. So, here's the new chap – please enjoy and tell me what you think of it :).

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8:<strong>** Frightening eyes**

In the next couple of weeks Georgiana became familiar with the castle's interior, as well as with its exterior. It was huge - of course much bigger than her family's small farm house - and its size was intimidating, but nonetheless did she feel comfortable in her new surroundings. She could not say the same for her position.

She surely was not a prisoner, as she had her own apartment and could go to the stables and gardens whenever she liked. Neither was she a servant, for the other members of the stuff would not let her move one finger. They spoilt her the whole day long, and Georgiana had to remind them more than once that she was only a peasant's daughter and no fine lady.

But she was no guest either – she hadn't seen the master of the estate since her first night here. The others told her that he spend the days in his apartments, only Clarice having access to him, and he rarely ever left them before evening. Georgiana did not understand this behavior of his, but she though it incredibly rude.

But even though she never saw him, he showered her with gifts. Fine dresses of silk and muslin, exquisite pieces of jewellery, but also every-day stuff such as cloaks, shoes and handkerchiefs. She didn't understand the purpose of this. Was he trying to buy her silence? Who did he think he was! And where did he get all this stuff, anyway!

She spent the days with Stefanie, Isabeau and the other maidservants, secretly helping them in their small duties.

But in the nights she would cry herself into sleep, the memories of Hugo, Adelaide, Christine and Edmond spinning in her head, provoking heavy headaches. She missed them. She missed them so much. Her own sister's wedding was to be held in a couple of days and she couldn't attend the ceremony. Was this fair? No, it wasn't!

But she knew that she would put her family and especially Edmond in great danger, should she dare to visit them. She could not even stay in contact through letters, as she had never learned fully how to write. Hugo and Adelaide were perfect parents, but people of their social and financial standing could not afford the luxuries a good education offered. She could write her name, not more.

Oh, how she longed to hear from Edmond. To know if he was alright and if he missed her as much as she missed him. She still had the wooden heart he had given her, concealed from everyone else in a small metal box on her bed stand. When her homesickness was almost not to bear she would take it out of its hiding place, reminding herself of the reason for her actions. This helped her calm down for most of the time.

One night, as Georgiana was lying in her bed, tossing turning around hoping that sleep would soon embrace her, she decided that she could as well go to the kitchen to make herself a cup of warm milk. She stood up, and after taking her robe – she wouldn't give anyone a reason to call her indecent – exited her rooms. She was trying to find her way across the dark corridors, when suddenly she heard a sound from upstairs. Someone was playing music in the middle of the night!

Forgetting about her milk she instead ascended the stairs leading to the upper floor. She had never been in this part of the castle and there was a good reason – the rooms of the master where above hers. _Nobody_, except Clarice was allowed to be here and it was undoubtedly stupid of her to enter his privacy, but she could not help it. She recognized the instrument – a piano forte. Her mother had possessed one, and had played every day. Georgiana remembered the sound the instrument produced, although she could not recall any songs or tunes her mother had played. She had been too young at the time - about three or four years of age – and only a year later they had been obliged to quit the house.

However little knowledge Georgiana had of music, she was sure that she had never heard anything more beautiful in her life.

The performer played with anger and there was a fury in the sound of the melody that penetrated her very being. And in the next moment the piece sounded…sad and…vulnerable and cold – all at the same time.

Georgiana couldn't bear the uncertainty any longer and closed the distance that separated her from the door to the room the tunes came from in three long strides. She tried to walk as softly as possible, in case the master should come.

When she reached the door she saw that it stood slightly open and she carefully peered inside.

The room was big, and as there seemed to be only one single candle as a source of light, only the area around the piano was illuminated. The instrument itself was of a wood so dark and radiant in the dim light, that Georgiana was sure, it must have cost a small fortune.

She moved carefully so as to get a better view into the room. Music sheets were spread across the wooden floor, making it almost impossible to see the ground. And she saw books – whole shelves filled with them. Of course she had some bookshelves standing in her own apartment, but they barely contained any books at all. Here on the other hand…she had never seen so many volumes in her entire life.

What caught her eye were the torn curtains and broken glass, mixed up with the music sheets on the floor. The whole room looked as if someone blinded by furry had stormed in and tried to break everything in his reach. _What happened here?_

Georgiana took in all these new impressions in mere seconds before her eyes searched for the source of the wonderful music. That is when she saw him.

A man was sitting in front of the piano forte, moving his arms and fingers over the keys in a light way, reminding Georgiana of a caress. Black hair contrasted with pearl white skin. A white shirt and dark breeches covered smooth and yet defined muscles.

Unwittingly did she take a step towards him and stepped on a tiny glass fragment. The sound of breaking glass caused the man to suddenly turn and stand up in one motion.

He stared at the frightened girl for what felt like hours, before a threatening growl came from his chest. His dark eyes had a dangerous twinkle. Georgiana suddenly began to fear for her life.

"What are you doing here?"

"I…I…I heard music and" A lump closed her throat.

"You have nothing to do here." His voice was dangerously calm, but his eyes burned a hole into her soul.

"I'm sorry, but" She couldn't move. She could barely even talk. It was like he held her captive with his eyes. He took a step closer to her.

"Leave! Now!" His voice rose and shook Georgiana out of her trance. She turned on her heels and ran for her life.

Were could she go? Her rooms? No, she could not stay here any longer. Home? But what if the castle's master came for Edmond? No, it would be her fault. She could not do that.

She descended the stairs as fast as her feet took her, her heart threatening to jump out of her chest. As she raced through the dark corridor she all of a sudden felt someone holding her back by her arm. She could feel her heart skip a beat and froze, but when she turned to look at the person, she saw that it had only been Clarice. The old woman seemed to understand without any explanation and led her downstairs to the kitchen.

Georgiana started to shake a little, but no tears came. Why not? She wanted to cry. It was only logical after such an experience. There was a man upstairs who could growl like an animal, and looked at her as if he were about to kill her! In the same house! Did Clarice know? And the others? Why had nobody told her about him!

She took deep breaths and managed to calm herself after a while. Clarice brought her a blanket and a glass with an amber liquid inside. Georgiana did not ask what was inside the glass – she knew it was supposed to help her and so she took it, emptying the glass in one gulp, and letting the burning sensation it caused distract her from what she felt at that moment. She closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry you had to see this. He's not always like this, although this is, I believe, his general behaviour. He _can_ be nice…sometimes." Clarice watched the young woman with a concerned look.

"How do you feel?"

Georgiana ignored the question. "Who is this man? Why is he here?" Clarice did know about it. Georgiana suddenly felt anger rise in her. _Why didn't she tell me?_

"You have met him before. It's the master."

"The master!" And then she remembered – the same voice, an animal like growl…the man who had tortured Edmond. It was him.

"But he…he…"

"Why did you even go upstairs? Haven't I told you, this is forbidden territory? How could you do something so stupid?"

"I heard music from the upper floor and wanted to check. I didn't know that I was about to almost get my head chopped off, I'm sorry." Why was Clarice so angry at her? After all, _she _could have warned Georgiana that piano music here lead straight to one's death.

"Never mind. Just try to be careful in the future if you want to survive in this place. He gets angry very fast and spends hours locked in his rooms."

"He sounded like he wanted to kill me!"

"Well…I can't say that I'm surprised. You watched him playing, after all. He never lets people watch him at the piano forte. I think you may be the first one to ever _see _him in front of an instrument. Even I am forbidden to watch his performance, although I listen to every time he does play. Did you like it?"

"Yes, but…" Georgiana remembered the emotions carried in his songs. It had been angry and frustrated and sad, but never happy. _After all, you can't expect such a bad-tempered person to actually feel happiness. _She did not speak aloud, but Clarice seemed to know exactly what she thought.

"Don't blame him. He has his reasons."

"Don't blame him! He threatened to kill my family! He tortured my friend! How can I not blame him!" Georgiana was furious. Who did this monster think he was? He could behave the way he wanted, because his position in life was higher than other's? He didn't have the right to torment the people around him!

"He took my freedom!"

"You don't have to be here."

"I do and you know it. If I hadn't arrived here in time, Edmond could have died that night in the dungeons. I don't know if he's alright, but he's a thousand times safer at home than he would be here."

"What about you? Now you are here in his place. Your brother's a grown up man, fully able to take the responsibility for his actions, while you are only a girl not sure of what she's doing. Do you even know why you are here? What your Edmond has done to make my master angry?" The old woman looked at Georgiana with a disapproving look that made the girl feel weak.

"I…No, I don't." She admitted after a while. She felt like a child getting a censure for being dumb. Clarice was right – she had no idea what she was doing, and yet did not regret her decision. She would walk through hell if that would keep the people that had saved her life ten years ago away from harm. She owed it to them. She owed it to Edmond.

She did not dare look into Clarice's eyes, but when she raised her head after a long silence, she saw a warm smile forming on the old woman's features.

"I'm here for you, and so are the others. You're not alone. But you must know that there are many things you don't know and probably never will."

"What do you mean?"

"Just don't ever go upstairs again." And with that she left the kitchen, leaving it to a confused Georgiana to make sense of her words.


	9. Confusion

AN: Hey guys what's up? Sorry that it took so long for me to update (looks ashamed at her feet). Anyway please tell me what you think of this chap. I'm not quite sure about the result. So, enjoy :) and I wish a nice weekend to all of you!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9: Confusion<strong>

„I am so bored!" Isabeau exclaimed with a long sight. Georgiana had helped her and Stefanie to clean up the kitchen that morning, but it had not taken long and the girls found themselves useless quite early in the day. Now they were sitting on a table in the servant's dining area, thinking of something to do.

"We could go on a walk in the gardens." Stefanie suggested. In that moment thunderclaps were heard. Georgiana looked outside the window on her left and saw how the sky grew even darker and heavy drops of water started to fall to the ground – the first November storm of the year. She shook her head, staring wide-eyed at the blonde girl.

"I would forget about going outside if I were you."

"But what can we do? I mean, we clean the house every day, although not even a third of the rooms here are actually being used. That's totally unnecessary! It's not like we're expecting guests or so anytime soon." Isabeau stood up and paced in circles through the room.

"You could actually help me with the laundry, if you're really that bored." The three women turned around only to see Clarice standing in the door frame. She was holding a basket with clothes in the one hand and a bar of soap in the other. "I need some help and you need an assignment. We both gain something."

The girls looked at each other before silently agreeing and standing up. Isabeau took the basket and Stefanie went to look for a tub they could fill with water. Georgiana wanted to follow her, but was held back by Clarice. "Not today."

She looked into the woman's eyes. Clarice would never let her do something. She was the only staff member who wasn't grateful for the help Georgiana provided. Moreover, she would check on the younger woman in an almost fanatical way. She couldn't go anywhere in the house without Clarice knowing her position. One week had passed since her nightly encounter with the master and the housekeeper paid great attention that Georgiana did not go to parts of the estate she was not entitled to see since then.

Isabeau send a pitiful smile in her friend's direction. She and Stefanie knew exactly how much Georgiana hated to feel useless, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. Clarice was not the kind of person one disagreed with.

Georgiana watched them walk away. _This is ridiculous! And what am _I _supposed to do now?_

She decided to go to her chambers and take a nap on the couch by the chimney, as there was nothing else to do, when suddenly she noticed a side corridor in the corner her eye. She had never seen it before, and grew curious. _I wonder what I'll discover in this part of the castle._

She looked around in mischief and walked away from her apartment door towards the hidden aisle. There was a door at the far end of it. She again wondered how she had never taken notice of this corner of the house before. She stopped at the door and again looked around to assure herself that nobody had followed her. Then she pushed it open and entered.

It was a large room, and - because of the heavy curtains - very dark. As soon as her eyes were accustomed to the darkness she walked to the windows and pushed the curtains aside, making it possible for the sunlight to illuminate her surroundings. Then she turned around. What she saw took her breath away.

Dozens of paintings – some as small as her palm, others as tall as the walls – were distributed around the place, some even leaning against the furniture on the floor. Others were so alien looking, that she guessed them to be of foreign origin. People, landscapes, buildings – so many different motives! She walked around and looked at every single picture, admiring the skills of the different masters.

Then one particular portrait caught her attention. She carefully removed the blanket that was hiding it almost completely and felt her heart jump – it was the master!

The painting was obviously quite old, and yet he looked exactly as he did now. Black curly hair that did not quite reach his shoulders, masculine features, white skin – but the most mesmerising attributes were his eyes. Georgiana had never seen such eyes as his, shining in dark mercury with silver nuances around the iris. She had not paid much attention to them the night she had watched him play. It had been too dark and she had been too far away from him to distinguish their color or shape, but now she had plenty of time to do so. The expression in them was soft and – Georgiana could bite her tongue at the very thought of it – almost…beautiful. But there was still something superior in his countenance. Something that made him appear diabolical, something that made her reach out and trace his features on the canvas.

"Prying around, aren't we?"

Georgiana spun around and gasped. There, leaning casually against the door frame was the subject himself, a perfectly shaped eyebrow arched roguishly. She felt her throat tighten and nervously made a curtsy.

"Do you like what you see?"

"I…I merely wanted to know what's inside this room. I'm sorry if this is forbidden as well."

She looked at him suspiciously. He had not moved an inch, and he did not seem to be angry either. Was this a new game of his?

"Some of these" and he absently approached an old painting of what seemed to be a foreign palace "are quite old and expensive. I wouldn't like to see any of them broken."

"I wasn't…"

He interrupted her. "I doubt you can guess more than half of the piece's origin. Most of them were made before you were born. They have a far higher worth than you."

"I assure you that I was not goi…"

"Does Clarice know that you're here?"

"What?" What did this have to do with the paintings? Georgiana began to grow annoyed. She just wanted to know what he wanted from her now.

"I see. I would be careful if I were you. I don't like it when others enter my private rooms, especially when I don't know these people."

"Oh, I'm sorry! There was no sign next to the door, having _access forbidden _written on it." It was impossible to overhear the sarcasm in her voice. He only continued to have that stupid grin on his face.

"Feisty, aren't we?"

"I wouldn't think of myself as the feisty one."

His eyes again began to burn into hers, exactly as they had done the night she had discovered him in his rooms, only now there was no trace of anger or furry in them. She could not explain the look she encountered, but felt a burning in her cheeks that baffled her enormously. It was as if two toxic mercury drops burned a hole into her skin. She couldn't look away.

After what seemed like days he finally broke the glance. "I'd appreciate it if you would leave this room now."

And with this he turned and left without any further explanation. Georgiana could only stare in the direction he had left. Her mouth stood open and in her head were hundreds of questions, but no answers to them.

_What was _that_!_


	10. Nightly discoveries

A/N: Hi! Ok first: Thank you to everyone who actually reads and/or reviews this story: You rock! Secondly: We move on with the plot (finally) and I hope you like the new chap. Everyone who finds mistakes is allowed to keep them ;). Have fun!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10:<strong>** Nightly discoveries**

_Sitting on the grass, loose flicks of auburn hair dancing in the wind, the sunrays shining on her pale skin – Georgiana took a deep breath. She was at home. _

"_Georgie!" Slowly did she open her eyes, only to meet two ocean blue orbs, inches away from her face. She immediately embraced the person – it was Edmond, and he was well! _

"_Edmond! I missed you so much!"_

"_I missed you too my love."_

_Then they were silent and just held each other. Georgiana sighted happily and again closed her eyes. But then she felt something warm underneath her hands. She panicked and stared at his arms. Crimson liquid covered his shoulders and chest and stained her dress. She tried to stop the blood flood, but every time she covered a wound with the hem of her dress a new one would open right next to it. She could only watch him bleed to death._

"_Edmond!"_

A scream was heard and Georgiana was awake. It took her a few seconds until she realized that she had been the one screaming. Carefully, she sat up in her bed. She was shaking enormously, her body covered in cold sweat, and had goose bumps on her arms and legs.

_Edmond! _She had these dreams every single night, and wasn't sure how long she would be able to bear it. It was too much, simply too much.

She took deep breaths and tried to calm herself. _It's only a dream, only a dream._ But this did not help to prevent a single tear from rolling down her cheek.

This was not fair! She wanted to go home, to see her parents and Christine and Edmond again. She suddenly felt the urge to break something. Badly. A vase, standing on the mantelpiece in the other room all of a sudden struck her as very tempting. Without thinking she stood up and walked to the chimney, but a sudden flash of light, coming from the dark windows made her forget what she was about to do.

Georgiana instead made her way to the windows, not sure of what to expect. The balcony made it impossible to see anything and so she – after some consideration – carefully opened the glass doors and stepped outside into the crisp night air.

She could not see anything, but her ears soon caught pieces of a hushed discussion that was held underneath her balcony.

"…you to keep her away from my belongings! How difficult can it be for somebody like you! She's only human after all!" A husky voice argued in a semi-whisper. Although she had heard this voice only a few times since her arrival here she immediately recognized it – the master! She bended down and crawled to a corner of the balcony to be as near as possible to the conversation without being discovered.

"I can't forbid her to walk through the house. She lives here too now. I'd have to give her then a good reason, and that means I'd have to tell her certain things. Do you want that?" This was Clarice's voice. What was going on down there?

"Are you trying to threaten me?"

"I'm trying to protect you."

"Don't! You're nothing after all! Or why would someone like you be here to _protect_ someone like me!"

"You have no idea of my reasons for being here!"

"Have you forgotten who I am!" He wasn't whispering anymore. "_What _I am! What does he even care about me? Stop pretending to be a prophet! I'm not interested in what you are saying!" The sound of stone breaking into pieces made Georgiana wince.

"But your mother…" Clarice was interrupted by a second stone vase flying past her left ear and shattering on the wall behind her. She didn't move an inch.

"Don't you dare talk about her! I know what you want to say! You don't have the right to stain her very name with your words!" His voice was now so loud that it made Georgiana feel chills running down her spine.

"I'm sorry, I didn't..." but he sharply cut her off.

"Leave me alone. Now!" He said this with a dangerous sounding undertone. Georgiana peered over the edge of the rail she was leaning against and saw Clarice return to the house. She watched him as he buried his face in his hands and felt…pity for him. She could have struck herself. How could she feel pity for _him_! But as he stood there, his form softened by the moonlight, he didn't appear as brutal or as dangerous as before. He looked…young and vulnerable. Georgiana could not understand him or her own reaction to his suddenly appearing so helpless. She felt awful. This wasn't right.

Before she could make sense of her thoughts and impressions, he stood straight again and pulled his shirt over his head. The white muscles of his back and arms so defined and yet smooth looking. She had never in her whole life seen a man without a shirt. Not even Edmond! She knew this was entirely wrong and stupid of her, but she couldn't turn away from the dazzling sight. Then he all of a sudden disappeared in a blaze of white light. The light disappeared soon again, but in the place of a young man was now a black creature - like a wolf, but much bigger and faster. Where was the man? And where did that animal came from?

_He's the…he's the…wolf! But…how? How…can that be!_

But if he was the wolf then he was also the one who had attacked Edmond and Marcèl in the woods!

_There's only one way of finding an answer. I must find Clarice!_

Pacing through the dark castle corridors she looked everywhere but couldn't find the housekeeper. She gave up. It was useless. Clarice wasn't to be found, but Georgiana doubted that the woman had gone to sleep. She was frustrated. She wanted answers. She wanted to know what was going on in this god-forsaken place!

I she couldn't find Clarice then she would wait for_ him_ to return. She wouldn't let them fool her. Something here was not right - the master of the estate could turn himself into a hideous beast!

So she went to his rooms and waited…and waited. But he wouldn't return. Georgiana's head was hurting because of her frustration, but nevertheless did she manage to stay awake. She waited until the first sunrays grazed the walls of his chamber, then exhaustion forced her to sit down on a couch at the windows. She closed her eyes and dreamless sleep embraced her.

b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b

She woke up at the sensation of something light and warm caressing her cheek. Her eyes opened and she looked around. First she couldn't sense anything unusual, but then it hit her.

She was lying on a bed – but not her own – and panicked. Where was she? She swiftly pulled the bed covers aside and was about to stand up, when an amused sounding voice made her stop mid-motion.

"Good morning." She froze.

He was sitting on a chair next to the bed, casually leaning against the back. His voice was smooth like velvet, but his whole figure was stiff like the body of a statue. Georgiana didn't know how long he had been there, watching her sleep.

"I thought I had told you never to enter my rooms again."

"How long have you been watching me?"

"How long have you been in sleeping in my bed?" a chuckle escaped his lips and made Georgiana furious. She wanted to slap him for this and finally stood up. He again only chuckled.

"I wouldn't do that." When she didn't take the hint he only wandered with his glance up and down her form, which made her look down at herself. She gasped and felt her cheeks burn.

She wasn't wearing the dress anymore she had put on last night before searching for Clarice, but a white shirt – probably one of his - that barely reached the middle of her thighs. Her legs were completely uncovered but what was worse was the fact that the fabric was thin enough for the outlines of her silhouette to be clearly visible. His staring at her didn't help. She felt exposed and miserable and wished that she could escape from his presence. With her hands she tried to cover herself and regain some part of her dignity, but her attempt was obviously only amusing him. She watched as he slowly stood up and approached her. He held her captive with his eyes and she felt her knees weaken a little.

He bent down and whispered into her ear. She suddenly realized how tall he was compared to herself. "Don't be shy. It's not like you haven't seen anything of me." His eyes twinkled diabolically. Then he turned and left the room.


	11. Explanation

A/N: Hello to everyone. Ok, for this chapter I had to do some research on Irish mythology in order to find something suitable. You can find the article on Fomorians at Wikipedia. Ok, enjoy the new chap. Oh, and I also found out that Cináed means "born of fire" in the Gaelic languages. Perfect ;)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11: Explanation<strong>

_Merde! Merde! Merde! _Georgiana paced the room angrily. How could this happen! How could she be so stupid! And him of all people! She had slept in his bed, in his shirt! He had watched her in her sleep! _Where is my dress...no! It has been removed! Did he...No he cannot…he surely would not…would he? Oh no!_

She buried her face in her hands, shaking her head helplessly. What should she do? She had to leave his chamber, but what if he was still in his drawing room? If he saw her? She dreaded the idea of meeting him again in such a state. She didn't have a choice – she had to wait here.

Luckily Clarice came soon and held a clean gown in her arms. The elder woman didn't ask any questions and the younger one was grateful not to have to answer any. It was bad enough to have the housekeeper see her in a man's shirt in her master's chamber. What she must think of her!

When she was presentable once again they left the room. The master was nowhere to be seen, and Georgiana thanked God for that. They walked to the kitchen.

"Hey Georgiana, where were you? We didn't find you in your rooms." Isabeau and Stefanie greeted her and both girls kissed her on the cheek. Georgiana tried to return their smiles equally cheerful, but failed eventually. Did they new she hadn't spend the night in her bed?

"Yes…I woke up early."

"Oh, good. We thought a wolf or so had eaten you." If Isabeau knew how close this came to reality. Georgiana's eyes meet Clarice's and she looked at the woman suspiciously. Clarice seemed to understand what she thought. "He's in his drawing room. Try to be more careful this time." As soon as she had finished the sentence Georgiana was on her feet again and hurried up the staircase to the master's apartment. She remembered what she had seen last night. Him and Clarice arguing, a black wolf where he had stood moments ago – she wanted some explanation.

She climbed up the last couple of steps and gathered all her courage. His door was closed. Without even knocking she pushed it open and entered.

He was standing in front of his book collection,, holding a heavy looking volume in his hands. He did not turn to face her, but a devilish grin appeared on his lips.

"Ah, in my rooms once again. Am I nowhere safe from you?"

"We need to talk!" Georgiana took a step closer.

"I don't think so." He put the book back to its place and took another one out, still not facing her.

"I want answers!"

"And yet you don't ask any questions. Doesn't make a lot of sense, don't you think?"

"You know what questions I have!" She grew annoyed again. Did he have to play with her? She didn't have time for this.

"But what if I don't want to give you your damn answers?" He finally turned and she suddenly doubted this was such a good idea. She began to fear for her life.

He looked at her angrily.

"Have you never learned that it's extremely rude to interfere in somebody's affairs? I thought what you saw yesterday was more than enough."

She froze. "You…you knew I saw you last night? But how?"

"Haven't you realized that my senses aren't human? I thought it was obvious. Animals usually have better senses than humans, especially predators."

"Then…then it really was you. And you were the wolf Edmond and Marcèl were attacked by. You monster! How could you do this!"

"Your friends were as annoying as you. Your _lover_ knew things that would have better remained undiscovered. It didn't have to get so complicated, but then you had to interfere. Saving the love of your life? Seriously!" He laughed.

"You have no idea! What do you know of true love?"

"Well obviously more than you. What you do is not admirable, it's stupid! Has your Edmond told you why I've held him captive? Do you know why you're throwing away your freedom?"

She was mad…but he was right. She had no idea what Edmond had done. She could've slapped herself.

"I knew it. So why don't you return to your rooms like a good girl and leave me alone!"

Who did he think he was! "I want to know why I'm living in the house of a man who can turn himself into a wolf! What kind of game is this! Do you find it funny to behave like you're better than others? Do you really believe you're so important and grand? This is ridiculous!"

He looked at her furiously and Georgiana meet his glace with equal anger. They stared into one another's eyes like this, before he finally sighted and looked to the ground. With a snarl he asked. "What do you want to know?"

"Who or what are you?"

He turned away and walked to the windows. She couldn't see his face, but when he talked next she could hear the exhaustion in his voice.

"My name is Cináed Ó Mathúna. Happy?"

"No."

He mumbled something, but Georgiana couldn't understand. It sounded like a foreign language.

"Look I really have other things…"

"Please." Her eyes softened. She could tell he was uncomfortable, but she was so close to getting the answers she so badly needed. "Please." She said again.

He looked into her eyes. Dark mercury – unreadable and dangerous, but also beautiful and…scared? His whole countenance emitted pride and arrogance, but his eyes revealed something different. He sighted.

"I was born in the year 706, the seventh year in the reign of king Fland Dá Chongal of Ireland. My mother was Irish, my father…my father was a Fomor, an ancient Irish demon, before converting to the Devil after Ireland became Christian." He paused and looked at her again, as if to assure himself that she was still in the room. She was. Should she be scared of the things he was telling her? Should she be frightened to death? Or was he lying? What he was telling her seemed like a joke. He couldn't be more than a thousand years old, could he?

But then he turned to look at her again, and when she meet his eyes she realised that this wasn't a joke. No he wasn't lying, she knew that. This was the truth. She saw sincerity in his eyes. Patiently did she wait for him to continue. He turned again, his back facing her, his face hidden from her curious eyes.

"I…grew up as a human child, I guess. My mother was of aristocratic birth and I lived a distinguished live in my familie's estates in Southern Ireland. My childhood was perfectly normal. But I…things changed when I grew older. I began to sense my…demonic heritage, and so could others. The court's druid told everyone that I was dangerous. A monster that ate little children and eventually wanted to become king. Ridiculous!"

"What happened?" She asked softly.

He shrugged his shoulders. "They put me into prison, but because of my maternal lineage they were too much afraid to kill me. Either that or they thought that the Fomorians would come to defend their kin. As if! Either way, they let me go and the druid was probably so vexed at it that he cursed me." He ran with his fingers through his hair, the black flicks of hair glistening in the sunlight, and Georgiana suddenly felt the need to touch it. _Like black silk_. She crossed her hands behind her back.

"They killed my mother instead. They called her a traitor and the demon's whore." His hands formed fists and there was anger in his eyes. "She died quickly, without pain. But I had to leave the country."

He finished his story with what sounded like a swear word once more. It sounded foreign, like the others.

"Was that Irish?"

"Yes, it was." He actually managed a smile in her direction, but his features darkened once again. "Are you frightened?" His eyes sought the connection with hers.

"Should I be?" She didn't feel scared or uncomfortable. What she did feel was gratitude that he had told her all this. She smiled at him.

He shook his head. "Féinmharfach Cailín (A/N:"suicidal girl" in Irish)!" Then he smiled back, although it did not reach his eyes.

She remembered that there was more.

"How come you can turn yourself into a wolf?" She saw him stiffen again.

"Part of the curse, I believe. I can turn into a wolf whenever I wish to. But my senses and habits are animal even when in human form. That's how I knew you were watching last night."

"Is this why you never eat the cook's food? Not very polite if you ask me. He's extremely talented." She tried to be funny, to break the tension. It worked to some extend. But when he looked at her next his eyes resembled a wolf's more than ever.

"I cannot eat his dishes. I need to go hunting every night."

"Hunting...what do you hunt usually?" Alright, she did feel a little uncomfortable now. He smiled and his perfectly shaped snow white teeth glistened as if to threaten her.

"Deers and wild boars usually, but sometimes wolfs and foxes."

"How about humans?" She asked with feigned disinterest.

He waited a few seconds then answered in a low voice. "Only when I can't control myself. Doesn't happen too often."

Her eyes widened and chills ran down her spine, but she fought against showing her emotions to him. She would be strong.

"Is this the reason why you attacked my friends?"

"No. I attacked them because I didn't want them to attack me. Your Edmond has often come here to gain information about me. I couldn't allow that."

"About you being half-demon?"

"About me being a murderer. Have you heard of the case of Gévaudan?" Of course she had heard of it. Gévaudan wasn't far away and many people had feared that the creature would cross the border to the Provence.

"You are standing before the creature itself." He chuckled. "I have to be careful now that the French government has taken notice of me. I probably have to leave France soon."

"Then you were responsible for the deaths?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Her heart skipped a beat. He noticed that "Finally a normal reaction!" He said to no one in particular.

They remained in awkward silence until she decided to leave. As she turned a thought grazed her mind. She felt the heat crawl into her cheeks.

"This morning…I was wearing your shirt…I…well, have you…"

"Clarice was the one who changed your clothes, if this is what you ask. She didn't want to wake you so we brought you to my bed. She borrowed a shirt of mine so that the dress wouldn't get wrinkled up. I wasn't in the room when she helped you change. " His eyes bore something undefined. Their intense stare provoked the blush on her cheeks to deepen and she felt her knees weaken.

They weren't friends now. Georgiana still hated him for what he had done to Edmond. He still was arrogant, aloof, selfish and proud. But he had trusted her enough to tell her all this.

"Thank you." And with this she left his rooms, closing the door behind her.


	12. This is crazy

A/N: Yay, I've finally updated! Sorry it took so long, but it's my teacher's fault. But I've got holidays for two weeks now, so I'll be able to write more often. Thx for your understanding and of course enjoy the new chap.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12: This is crazy<strong>

The next morning Georgiana was awakened by the coldness that crawled through her bed sheets. She rolled into a ball, but she still felt uncomfortably cold. So she opened her eyes.

She first looked around the room to assure herself that she had spend the night in her own bed, then her eyes rested on the sight outside her rooms – it was snowing.

She couldn't believe it. The winters in the Provence were usually mild and snow was a rare sight. Forgotten that she still felt chilly, she stood up from the bed and looked at the landscape. Everything was covered in white fluff. Her eyes twinkled cheerfully. She knew _exactly_ what she had to do.

After putting on a woolen dress and cape, she went to the kitchen to see if the others were awake. She didn't find anyone there. _Well, then I'll go alone. _

When she stepped out into the crisp winter air, she felt goose bumps grow all over her body, but that did not make her change her mind. The world outside was as silent as the castle interior, if not more so. The only sound being the one her boots made when walking over the snow. She made turns around the veranda and admired the sight of the gardens covered by thick layers of snow.

"Is it not beautiful?" She turned. Behind her at the door were Stefanie and Isabeau, both wearing heavy cloaks and short boots.

They played in the snow for hours, building a snow man, having a snowball fight, making angels in the snow – all three of them giggling and screeching like little children. They played the whole morning outside and by lunchtime they were soaking wet as if they had fallen into a river. "Hey let's go inside. I don't want to be ill tonight." Stefanie said after they had finished their third round of hide-and-seek. Both Georgiana and Isabeau were sulking at first, but then they thought about it and followed their friend back to the house.

"Hey Stefanie, wait!"

As Georgiana was slipping off her boots to leave them on the little piece of dry ground next to the door frame she felt somehow strange. As if she was being watched by somebody. The feeling ran up and down her spine and she turned to look around. She did not see anyone. _Strange, I really felt like someone was there. _But she was the only one outside, everything being quiet and peaceful. _I'm getting paranoid. _She shook her head smiling and entered the warm kitchen.

"How about a nice soup?" Monsieur Laurent asked on seeing their almost frozen forms. It had been fun outside, but now they realized how cold it had actually been. Their hands hurt because of the difference of temperature and their cheeks were brightened by the exercise and the warmth that came from the large oven. A soup sounded perfect at the moment.

Soon the other members of the staff joined them, and all discussed the change of weather and the effects it would have on their daily life.

"Luckily we already cut the rose bushes, or they would be ruined in spring. But I'm afraid because of the trees. If the snow get's too heavy one of them might break down." Jean, one of the gardeners, frowned in thought.

"And now we have to see that the chimneys work properly. Some of the man have to cut the fire wood." Anne, the youngest maid servant in the house, said.

"Now we have to look that the one in your room works too, or you'll freeze to death." Anne's sister Sabine looked at Georgiana.

"I really don't wish to give you extra work." Georgiana felt awful that they had to care for her too now. Back at home, everyone had certain tasks to do, but here she felt so useless. Of course she helped where she could, but it wasn't the same.

"Don't be silly. It's nothing. And there're only three chimneys we have to use - yours, the one in the women's chamber and the other one in the men's room. We normally use the ovens to warm up the kitchen. See? It's really nothing."

"What about the one in your master's apartment?"

"We never put a fire in that one."

"What? Why not? Not even in winter?" Georgiana frowned confused. She knew by now that he was strange in many different ways, but this was not just strange - it was the complete opposite of understandable.

"Well, we're never allowed to enter his rooms. Not even for that purpose. I wonder how he can endure the cold." Anne laid her head in both her hands looking upwards as if she could actually see the man through three floors. "It must be unbearable in there." She murmured quietly.

Soon after that the soup was ready and all began to eat the delicious luncheon. But while the others made jokes about this and that, Georgiana was in her own thoughts.

When He had related to her his history, she had not forgiven him. Nonetheless she had expected that they would be on friendlier terms after that. Now three days had passed since then and she had seen nothing of him. Was he avoiding her? But why had he told her all this stuff about him being a thousand year old half-demon? Now that she thought about it, she felt silly for believing his stories. But then she remembered what she had seen that one night from her balcony – he had turned into a black wolf in a matter of seconds.

Okay, maybe he had not lied to her after all, but why was he still avoiding her? _Insufferable, selfish man!_

&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b

After finishing lunch everyone had gone separate ways. Georgiana had not visited her horse for nearly a week, and so she had walked to the stables.

Now she was there in her mare's box, stroking the animal's glossy crest. The two stable boys had given her a nice blanket to put over the horses back against the cold.

She started to think about her family. Christine was now a married woman, living in a beautiful house together with her husband. Maybe she was already pregnant. Her sister had always dreamed of having at least ten children. Georgiana could imagine it – boys and girls running around their mother, all having the same honey brown curls of their father and their Maman's clear blue eyes.

She thought of Edmond. Would their children have his eyes and her hair, or the other way around? Would they even get married one day? She may never see him again after all.

She pictured herself carrying a baby girl in her arms. It was a beautiful little thing with Georgiana's auburn locks and her father's dark mercury eyes…WHAT? Dark Mercury? No, Edmond's eyes were ocean blue! Blue, not mercury! Blue!

She tried to calm down. Taking a deep breath…one…two…three…Okay this was getting crazy. What was that supposed to be? She bumped her head on one of the box's walls. Was she completely out of her senses? She must be tired! Yes, that was it! She was tired and her brain made funny things.

The worst was that she knew someone with dark mercury eyes…and she would never, ever, ever have any children with Him!

&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b

He had watched her in the snow. He hadn't meant to, but when she had appeared from the house he hadn't been able to move.

She had played with two of his servants in the snow, while he had hidden himself behind the trees of the forest, near enough to see, but too far away to be seen.

He hadn't seen her for days. Spending the days hunting, he only returned very late at night. He knew this was stupid. He had to be careful now when going out, but he couldn't stay in the house any longer. That night he had been away as well, and when he had returned to the château he had spied her racing through the white layers, the color of her air contrasting with the snow on the back round - like fire shimmering in the pale winter atmosphere. He immediately shook his head, trying to get rid of these thoughts. He felt horrible.

He felt ashamed. Ashamed because he had told her so much about himself. Not all, but nevertheless too much. Why had he done that? Why had he trusted her? That little girl. Who the hell was she for him to trust her? No one! She was only there to give him more problems. As if there weren't already enough complications in his life.


	13. Stains of blood

A/N: hey every one! Okay this chap may have some resemblance with the Disney film. It was the best idea I could come up with this time. Thank you old Disney for providing me with ideas! Yeah so pleazzz enjoy and tell me what you think.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13: Stains of blood<strong>

_I have to clear my head! Now! _

Georgiana saddled her horse in a matter of seconds and together they soon left the stables behind them. The snow was not that deep and she needed the exercise. The animal showed its excitement by whickering happily and the girl enjoyed the wind blowing through her hair. Both had missed it, as Georgiana used to ride nearly every day back at home. She knew she wasn't allowed to leave the castle grounds, but they were huge anyway, and she would return soon enough.

The idea of escaping and going back to her dear family sneaked itself into her mind more than once, but she couldn't do it. He would know. No, he was dangerous. She wouldn't risk it. Instead she tried to relax and take the beautiful picture in front of her in – hills and woods covered in pearl white.

She pushed the mare further and the horse was only too eager to comply. Together rider and horse galloped over the ground. She stopped thinking and just felt. And Georgiana felt like she could just fly away. _Why did I not think of this sooner?_

But then a sudden noise coming from the trees behind made them freeze. The girl felt her animal getting nervous and she looked around for any source of the noise. Again a rustling was heard. _Maybe it's a deer or a fox._

But it wasn't. Out of the darkness the old trees provided a wolf appeared, baring its teeth. First she thought that it was the master, and that he was angry at her for leaving, but then a second wolf joined the first…and a third…and a fourth. A whole pack emerged from the forest. Their fur was grey and they were too small – this was not the master. This was a real pack of wolves snarling at her. Good God, she was in great danger!

Slowly did she try to turn, but the horse would not obey. It stood still, probably to scared itself to move. She tried again - just in time, as one of the wolves was about to attack – and this time it finally turned. They raced back to the château, but the pack would not quit chasing them.

She could see the castle after a while. She saw the towers and dark windows of the east façade. They were safe! "Help! Please, Help!"

But before she could reach the point from where the others in the house would have been able to hear her, a wolf jumped and pushed her and the mare down. Georgiana landed on her side and she immediately felt a thumping on her left shoulder and on her temple. The snow around her was speckled with crimson dots – blood! She was bleeding and the scent of it made the wolves even more agitated. She couldn't move. Every bone in her body hurt. She could only lie still, as the leader made its way to her.

A sudden growl, sending chills down her spine, came out of nowhere and made the animals turn around. Georgiana tried to stand up, but failed and instead slightly turned her head into the direction the sound had come from. There in front of the scene stood a large black wolf, its pearl white teeth glistening and its fur contrasting sharply with the white back round. The wolf approached carefully and crouched. Then another threatening growl was heard, Mercury eyes staring at them. She recognized those eyes. It was Him! He had come!

He crouched even more, every muscle in his body tense, but otherwise didn't move. The pack was becoming anxious and some of the members took turns around him. They wanted to intimidate him, Georgiana knew that, but he simply stood firm, only his eyes following them. When suddenly the wolf in front of him jumped, he attacked.

They're fighting! The girl again tried to sit up, with more success that time, and crawled to her horse and away from the fighting wolves. Her legs would not carry her.

As she cowered by the equally frightened mare, she saw for the first time how big the pack actually was. Nine wolves against one. But he was strong, and though he was attacked from all directions he continued to fight. She didn't know how long it took, but the surviving members of the pack eventually retired and disappeared in the forest, two left dead on the ground.

Only then she could dare taking a breath, but she soon froze again. He had turned towards her but did not move. He simply looked at her, his eyes switching between the dark spots of blood on the ground and her face. He lifted a leg, but did not come nearer. She could neither move nor speak, being held in place by fear. All that escaped her lips was a quiet "Please.".

Was he going to kill her? Was this not a real rescue? Did he only fight the wolf pack so that he could have her for himself? But then he closed his eyes. He looked so…human. And he still did not move. Then all of a sudden she was blinded by streams of white light and she lifted her arm to cover her eyes. It lasted only a second and when the light had subdued and then disappeared instead of a black wolf a young man stood before her.

He then started to move – first carefully, then faster – and eventually reached her. Cautiously not to touch her injured shoulder and leg – she later had realized that she also had a long bruise on her left thigh – he took her in his arms and delicately put her on the horse's back before mounting himself. Then they silently returned to the house, neither saying a word about what had happened moments ago. There, leaning backwards onto his firm embrace, his arm holding her steadily, she finally allowed herself to lose consciousness.

b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b

_Oh, why is my head hurting so much? And my shoulder and my leg are throbbing too. Ohh! _Georgiana tried to open her eyes, but they wouldn't open. Again and again did she try, but she was too weak and soon abandoned her tries. A frustrated groan escaped her lips.

"How do you feel?" an anxious voice asked. She finally managed to open her eyes. She needed a moment to orientate, but relaxed when she saw that she was lying in her bed.

She turned her head to find the person who had talked and spotted him on a chair next to her bed. That did have something of a déjà-vu, but she could not bring herself to laugh at the irony and neither was a smile grazing his features. She thought there had been a short shade of agony in his eyes, but when she blinked it was gone.

She instead observed his form. He was leaning forward, his head resting in his hands and his muscles seemed to be as tense as they had been before the fight.

The fight! Suddenly she remembered everything that had happened – the wolf pack, him fighting, his dark eyes directed to the sight of her blood. She tensed unconsciously…and he saw it.

"I'll better go." And with that he stood up and walked to the door. Georgiana had to stop him. "No! Please stay! I'm sorry" She wanted him to stay with her, to not leave her alone.

"No. You are right to be scared of me. I apologize for causing you discomfort." His hand was on the door knob.

"No, please! I want to thank you. You've saved my life!" She tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in her shoulder stopped her mid-motion. She groaned again in frustration.

He turned to look at her, his eyes glistening with anger.

"Save your life? Are you crazy? Or blind? I didn't save your life. I almost killed you myself! You better thank Clarice. She's the one who tended to your wounds."

"But had you not been there the wolves would've killed me."

"Had I not been there one of the stuff would have come. The stable boys heard the noise too, I was just closer." He was mad, and she did not know why. Why could he not accept her apology? "Right, at the time they would've arrived I would've been dead already. Because of you I'm still alive!"

"You're still alive because you're damn lucky. I almost did kill you. The scent of your fear and the blood on your body drove me mad. I nearly lost myself." He did not look in her direction, but his eyes seemed far away. He clenched his fists and opened them again, his eyes closed and he took deep breaths – he was trying to calm down. Then he spoke with exhaustion in his voice. "I'm not human. My senses are lupine. When I smell blood…I can't control myself. It was a torture seeing you there crouching blood-covered and helpless on the ground and not kill you. I…I couldn't think clearly." His eyes were directed towards the ground. Was he…afraid to met hers? Was he afraid? Of her? That couldn't be.

"But you didn't kill me. You didn't hurt me. You saved me from a pack of hungry wolves."

"I'm not better than them."

"Yes, you are." Georgiana did not understand why she was comforting him. He had done horrible things both to her and Edmond. And yes, he had nearly killed her, but that was not important to her. What she saw in front of her bed was no proud estate owner and semi-demon, but a young vulnerable man, who had saved her because she had been in danger. No more and no less. "Thank you."

He met her eyes and she swore she could see something like gratitude in his. Then he left.


	14. Memories

A/N: Did I not say that I'll be able to update more often now? I love holidays. So here's the new chap. How will Gee and Cináed act around each other after the accident? Let's find out. Enjoy and please review.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14: Memories<strong>

_Ouch! Why does it have to hurt _so much_? _Georgiana was lying in her bed…as usual. Since her accident she couldn't leave her apartment, or even the bed. As Clarice had told her she had a deep abrasion on her left shoulder, which the housekeeper had to stitch and which hurt terribly with every move, a huge blue bruise on her thigh and a cut on her temple. Besides that her back hurt and she felt like she couldn't breathe because of that and the pain in her shoulder. Great, hu?

So she had spent the boring days in her chamber sleeping or thinking. The master had not entered her rooms since the day of the accident, and she grew anxious again. Why was he always avoiding her, then coming to her rescue, then avoiding her once more…Could he not at least try to be friendly? They lived in the same house after all. It was awkward every time they did see each other. And Georgiana hated awkwardness.

She felt strange. When he had stood in front of her as a wolf…she had not felt fear or anxiety. She had not been afraid of her life. Well, of course she had not moved and she had carefully watched him, but there had not been real fear in her. Why not? She had been scared of the real wolves, why not of him?

The way he had looked at her in agony, and his behaviour later in her room. It was all so strange.

_Okay, he may not be as proud and aloof as I originally though. But things between us have to change immediately._

She did not expect them to become the best of friends, but…she wanted them to feel comfortable around each other, like she felt with the staff. Was that really so impossible as he made it appear?

b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b

Today, after three days of constant lying, Georgiana tried to walk again. Her head spun and her shoulder hurt with every breath she took, but with the help of Isabeau and Stefanie she managed to take a turn around the chamber.

"Hey, you're doing fine." Isabeau gave her friend's hand a squeeze. She and the other members of the staff only knew fragments of what had really happened outside in the snow. Clarice wouldn't tell them and Georgiana pretended not to remember. They only knew that the master was somehow involved, but could not imagine how.

"I'm not doing fine. Ah, it hurts! How am I supposed to survive another three or more days in my bed? Stupid shoulder!"

"Come, we'll help you dress. Try not to raise your arm." While both maids searched for a comfortable dress, Georgiana watched them smiling. They tended to her so carefully every day, bringing her food, helping her dress, talking to her for hours. Without them it would be so much worse. She did not deserve them.

"Good, now try to put your arm through the sleeve. Carefully, careful…okay, got it."

"Wait, it got entangled with the bandages! Don't move. We'll fix it." Stefanie delicately tried to pull the sleeve over the tight bandages. "Great, now the other arm will be much easier. You're quite lucky that Clarice knows so much about stuff like that. You lost a lot of blood that day."

"Really?" _What else does Clarice know about? _" Didn't realize that." Of course that was a lie, as Georgiana very well knew that the great loss of blood had almost killed her in more than one way.

"What did actually happen? Your clothes were all ruined when the master brought you back and you didn't wake up for two days. Even now your skin is pale white."

"Well, I…"

"She fell when her horse slipped on ice. No need for you to worry."

Shocked, the three girls turned towards the bed room door. There, leaning against the door frame in a pair of black satin breeches and a matching waistcoat, his arms covered by white linen and a stern expression grazing his features was He. "You can go now." He looked at Isabeau and Stefanie and the two shocked girls left – not without exchanging worried glances with Georgiana – the room and closed the door behind them. Georgiana meanwhile wondered why he had come and tried to find the reason in his eyes, with no success.

As soon as they were alone he approached her from behind and delicately closed the upper button of her dress on her back. The sudden touch send chills down her spine and through every bone in her body, but she did not shrink away. His fingers lingered on her nape and she turned her head to look at him. Again she was captured by the depth of his eyes.

"How are you?"

"I'm fine. It doesn't hurt that much." She was lying, of course.

"Don't lie to me. You could barely put on the dress." The seriousness had vanished and a faint smirk graced his lips. "Are you really alright?"

"Yes, I am. Really, no need to worry." She laughed. "No longer avoiding me?"

"It's not very easy when you constantly manage to put yourself in danger. Someone has to take care." His words were said in pure sarcasm, something Georgiana had never seen him use before. She liked the humor in his tone.

"Very funny, monsieur. I'd like to inform you that I'm not always managing to put myself in danger, as you put it. I'm quite capable to watch after myself."

"I see that. Anyway I'll send Clarice to bring you something to eat." He was preparing to leave.

"Wait! How is my horse?" She had no idea how the poor mare was after the accident. Was she injured?

"Your horse is perfectly fine and in her box together with a bucket full of hay. She's better off than you, I'd say."

"Thank you." He send her a last smile and closed the door.

_What a beautiful smile he has. He should show it more often…What? No! Hello, Georgiana wake up! Bad guy, Bad Guy! Think of Edmond! _

Her head spun and she had to sit down on the bed. That's where Clarice found her.

"Hard day? It's only eleven in the morning." The old woman smiled knowingly. Georgiana did not trust her that much anymore. Not after all the things the lady had kept secret from her. But she needed advice.

"I don't know. Sometimes he can be so nice, and the next moment he's a proud and angry jerk. How am I supposed to behave around him? " The girl ran her fingers through her hair.

"Don't be so harsh on Cináed. He has his problems too."

_Cináed _"That's his name, isn't it? So it's true."

"Well, I don't know what exactly he's told you, but I don't think he would lie to you."

"Explain to me how somebody can live for a thousand years. How can somebody be half-demon? I'm sorry, but I can't believe all of this."

Having the food completely forgotten, both women looked at each other. "Well…I believe he has already told you about his origin. What else is there that you want to know?"

"I don't understand the thing with that curse. He said that he already had demonic…characteristics, so what did the curse change?"

"As a young adult he had better senses than humans, and when he became twenty-four his body stopped altering. He hasn't changed since then. He still looks the same as he did the day of his twenty-fourth birthday. But when the curse hit him…you see, the curse was supposed to transform him into a wolf, just a normal wolf, without the ability to transform back or even think like a human. But the demon inside of him responded to it differently than the human part." The old woman's eyes seemed far away in memories, and her hand placed itself on Georgiana's.

"The demonic part reacted in different ways – he's now immortal, although still vulnerable. Originally he wasn't supposed to become older than the average human, I think. And while he is lupine in many aspects, he can change back into his human form. He can think as a human when a wolf, but he can't always control himself when he sees blood. He needs to drink a brew that helps him remember that he's still human when hunting."

Georgiana took everything in. It had been strange to hear it from his lips – he had told it like a fairy tale – but now that Clarice told her that with such sincerity in her tone and countenance, she simply had to believe it. There was no doubt now that he had told her the truth.

"But why did they kill his mother. Why did he not protect her, now that he was so strong?"

"It wasn't that easy, you know. He was still in prison during that time. The curse was running slowly through his veins and it took days for him to not feel pain anymore. It was a horrid thing and almost unbearable for him, but it gave the palace guards enough time to track down his family and burn them. They all died at the stake, but his mother was the only one being tortured before. They broke her bones, they cut her skin, they raped her and at the end she had to die. This changed him."

"But why would they do such a thing? This is…that…How can people do something like this?" Georgiana's face grew even paler and her eyes widened in shock. He hadn't mentioned _that_.

"How do you know all these details? Has he told you everything?"

"Don't be silly. He never talks to anybody about this. I still can't believe he told you." And then Clarice smiled a sad smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I know these things because I've been there."


	15. Passionate World

A/N: Yep and another chapter for today. Managed to write this in less than three hours ;). Tell me if you like it. Little tip: I've recently discovered Roy Todd and absolutely l.o.v.e his work. His songs are on Youtube. So if you like reading while music is playing then I can only recommend him. I listened to "Cherished" while writing this chap. Ok, that's all. Bye!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15: Passionate World<strong>

As November brought further coldness and darkness into the wide lands of the Provence, Georgiana and her friends had to quit their walks and tours around the castle grounds. The young woman wasn't allowed to leave the house anyway, as her healing shoulder should not be exposed to the cold temperatures.

Her leg and back were alright again and her head did no longer hurt as well. Walking was no problem anymore.

Life in the château was once more as it used to be before her accident. Well, no, not exactly. One thing did change to Georgiana's great surprise. The mast…Cináed did no longer hide himself away. Yes, he did spend hours alone in his rooms, but now he played every day. She had only heard him once before, when she had watched him secretly almost a month ago. Now his music was heard all around the house, filling the rooms and the listener's heart. His play did not sound happy, by no means, but…there was a beauty and sadness in it that together with the fire in the chimneys and the aroma of Monsieur Laurent's seasonal dishes made the women, men and children of the staff unconsciously spend more time with each other and less alone. It was during that time that Georgiana understood for the first time that these people here were not just strangers working in the same household – they had become a family over time.

It made her think of her own family – not the people that had saved her from the streets of Marseille, but the mother that had died when she had only been eight years, the father and brother she had never known, the relatives who lived in England and probably had no idea of her existence. She began to wonder for the first time how her life would have developed, had her real parents and her brother not died. Would she live in the city? Would she have a real sister? Would she be close to her elder brother? Would she have rich friends and suitors? Would she be able to read novels and play the piano forte as good as Cináed?

In her mind the faint picture of a beautiful woman with long auburn hair and green eyes began to form – her Maman. Her own eyes were hazel with a stitch of green. Had her father's eyes been hazel? What had her brother looked like?

Without understanding why a tear escaped her eye and ran down her cheek. She did not have to cry. She had not known these people, she barely remembered her mother. There was no need to cry. She felt stupid. She had never cried so much at home, why was she behaving like a sentimental old maid here? Ridiculous!

Seeking distraction she returned to her rooms. The piano had quiet down by the time she reached her apartment, she realized with some regret. _Shall I or shall I not?_

Knowing that he still had to be in his chambers, she - instead of entering her own – walked up the second staircase that led to the upper floor. Here were the apartments for the family members with the master's and mistress's suits located at the far end of the long corridor. Curiously she approached his door and peaked in.

He was sitting on a sofa, one of his long legs crossed over the other and the hint of a frown shadowing his features. His hands held a quite old looking book. The moment she pushed the door open to enter he looked up in surprise.

Georgiana suddenly forgot why she had come. "Well...eh…I'm sorry to intrude, but…eh…I…you're reading?" It was _not_ easy to talk while he looked at her in expectation. And the coldness in the room made her shiver. She remembered that the others never lit the chimney in his apartment. Oh, why had she come? _Stupid girl, stupid Georgiana!_

He simply nodded. "Good, aehm…What are you reading?" She looked at everything in the room, but she did not dare make eye contact with him. He held the volume up so she could see the front cover. She could tell by the sound of his voice that he was as confused as she about her question. "It's called _Leviathan_ by Mister Thomas Hobbes. Why, have read it?"

"No, no I haven't." She suddenly felt shame for her poor education. "But it looks…interesting. What is it about?" Yep, now she was officially the dumbest person on earth.

He smiled knowingly. "It's about the structure of society and legitimate government. It says that chaos or civil war could only be averted by a strong central government."

"Aha." She nodded. Heat crawled into her cheeks. She had absolutely no idea what that meant.

"You can't read." He stated after a while. She nodded again. There was no use in denying it. "A shame. All the books in your room for nothing." He snorted.

"Teach me! Please, teach me how to read and write." The idea had suddenly entered her mind. That way she could at least write to her family. Michel, now her brother-in-law, could read. They would now she was alright.

"Why should I do that? I'm not a tutor."

"It's the only way I can inform my family that I'm well. Please. I cannot see them, I can at least try to comfort their minds."

That seemed to make him think. He didn't reply, but stared into her eyes and she felt her knees weaken again. Then finally he spoke. "Fine."

She could not keep the smile away from her face. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

She wanted to curtsy but he swiftly stood up and held her up by the arm.

"I think we can drop the formalities. Let us set up some rules instead." That dangerous grin she had so often seen on their first encounters appeared on his face and made her gulp.

"First. I'll choose the reading material. No cheesy romance novels or drama, understood?" She nodded with sparkling eyes.

"Second. I'm not a patient person. Try not to get on my nerves, alright?" He said it with humor in his countenance, but she knew that he meant what he was saying.

"And Third. When I tell you to leave the room you will do so immediately, is that clear? I don't want a repetition of last week's events." Last week's events – he meant his almost losing control and attacking her. Now he clearly wasn't joking. His eyes bore earnest and resembled frozen silver.

"Understood. But I too have a rule." She looked up on him with determination.

"Is that so?" Without both of them realizing it he had taken a step closer to her.

"We have to start immediately."

He only shook his head in amusement.

b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b

Who could have thought that having Cináed as a tutor would be the complete opposite of boring. Georgiana laughed about the thought. It was so strange. They had become something close to friends in the two weeks he had taught her reading and writing in French. Dear reader, the change that transpired between those two is too complicated to explain, but I shall try nonetheless.

Georgiana had now fully given up calling him "The master", and referred to him by his given name even when talking to the staff. He too had started to use her Christian name and it send shivers through her every time she heard her name from his lips.

Almost every time they talked they ended up fighting. It was unbelievable, but they argued about everything! But it wasn't like fighting between two people who just hated each other, no. They only fought because both were simply too stubborn to listen to the other person. Sarcasm was used on a daily basis. And Georgiana could have slapped herself, but she enjoyed it. It was fun. They argued about theories in books and about the theories of philosophers that were not even alive anymore. Was that normal?

It was by no means the way it had been with Edmond, no. There was no love involved. Edmond was…light and bright as the sun, while Cináed was dark and…passionate? She blushed every time she used the word "passion" and his name in the same sentence, but…he was passionate. It was a simple fact. When playing on the piano, when reading passages of books to her, when they discussed the things they read – he was passionate in everything he did. And she absorbed some of his passion.

He had opened a world to her she had never known existed, and now she could only laugh at her own indifference. She had learned the Latin alphabet in a week and now she read almost fluently. It was wonderful! She read about romance, religion, art, philosophy – about everything she could find in his or her library. And he had mountains of books, some being several hundred years old. The world was so much bigger than she could ever have imagined and it offered so much. She eager memorized what she learned.

But as happy as she felt, others suffered. During that time the first human died by a horrible beast, five years after the slaughter in Gévaudan had ended.


	16. Stitches

A/N: Hey guys whazzup! So here's the next chap. I somehow feel that this gets on too fast. I'll try to prolong the plot in the next few chapters. Enjoy and have a nice day!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16:<strong>** Stitches**

Georgiana had heard of it through Sabine and her sister. Sabine's friend had come by and brought the news. A man had died the night before by an animal. It had to be an animal, as the wounds inflicted were too horrible to be caused by a person and bite marks on his arms and legs were found as well. The peasants in the area rumored that a bear had killed him, others blamed the wolf packs in the forests. Some however said the farmer was killed by the beast of Gévaudan that had found its way into the northern parts of the Provence. Georgiana had first been alarmed, but soon calmed down a bit when it came out that the man had been a stranger. Her family was safe – for now.

While the others exchanged opinions and stories of what the creature looked like, Georgiana sneaked out of the kitchen and went to look for Cináed.

Before she reached his open door she heard voices arguing from inside. Clarice was there and she did not sound happy, but compared to Cináed it was nothing. He was furious, shouting at her and pacing through the room. While Clarice spoke French throughout the argument he was switching between French, Irish, English and probably several other languages without warning. He had started to teach Georgiana some English and although she did not understand a lot, what she did understand made her gasp. She also knew when he was swearing, as he always did that in Irish. She recognized swear words by sound now. Then he settled on French.

"_Damnaigh sé_! Your bloody brew didn't help! It's not my fault it happened! Had he not left his house he would still be alive! And the stupid man had to slip over a stone and cut himself. _Damnaigh!_"

"But why did it not help? The brew always helped before."

"How am I supposed to know? I am not the one preparing it, you are!"

"But you don't lose control around_ her_, why did you have to kill this man? You spend hours in here teaching her this and that, but this man crossed your way for the tiniest bit of a second." The old woman threw her hands in the air.

"With her it's…different. I'm getting used to her scent. It's the same as with the others." He sat down on a chair, his head buried in his hands.

"I know why you can control yourself around her, but it has..."

His sharp voice cut her off. "Don't you dare finishing this sentence or I'll kill you for good!" He was not shouting. His voice was quiet and ice cold. Georgiana was worried what he would do next.

Clarice instead thought about something different. "I wonder if she knows who the man was. Maybe she can persuade the family to not call the authorities."

"Why don't you ask her now? She's behind the door."

Georgiana gasped and Clarice pushed the door further open. The old woman looked skeptical at her. "So? Do you know him?"

"No, I'm afraid I don't. He lived in a different part of the forest than my family." Georgiana was almost as pale as Cináed.

The housekeeper snorted. "I'll leave you two alone. There's important business I have to attend to. You're lucky if you're not dead by dawn." She eyed him angrily and left the room.

Georgiana stood there in the middle of the room, feeling useless, while Cináed had hidden his face behind his palms, his elbows placed on his knees. What should she do? Was there even something she could do? Slowly she approached his crouched figure, carefully not to make a sound. Then she kneeled besides him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" he hissed and in less than a second his fingers had wrapped themselves around her throat. She couldn't breathe and he held her above the ground. Her heart threatened to jump out of her chest and his eyes were frightening her with the sight of frozen silver boring into her soul. Her vision started to blur. "Cináed." Her voice was fainter than a whisper.

Then the pressure around her neck loosened and she fell to the ground. While she was taking deep breaths he had turned towards the windows on the other side of the room, hiding his face from her. She touched her throat with the tips of her fingers. She knew bruises would appear soon. Her eyes widened.

She stared at him. "Cináed, please." He did not turn. He did not move. No sign that he had heard her, but she was sure he had. "Please, tell me what happened."

"What do you think happened?" He sounded tired. His voice was no more than a whisper. Slowly he raised his hands and touched the glass with his fingertips. "I'm fed up. Let them find me, who cares?" He snorted.

She carefully stood up. His words were like knives. "Don't say that."

"But isn't it true? Diabhal é a ifreann! It's useless to hide." He ran with his fingers through his hair, a gesture he always did when agitated or angry.

"I didn't have to kill him. It didn't have to happen." He said to no one in particular. Then he suddenly reached for a vase on the table behind him and threw it at the wall. It burst into hundreds of pieces before her eyes. She shivered, but continued to look at him.

"Did you not drink the mixture Clarice made yesterday?" Yes, she knew of the potion he had to consummate once in a while in order to stay in control. He had told her that it was the only thing that kept her save around him.

"I did, that's the problem!" He turned and began to pace through the room. "I…I don't know. I…it gets worse now. I…I feel like it's slipping through my fingers." He locked his eyes with hers. What she saw made her shiver – fear. He was scared. That was not something she saw often on him. He wasn't someone to be easily scared of anything, but now he was completely insecure. Something was happening within him and he did not understand what.

Carefully – probably not to scare her – he held his hand out. She took it without hesitation. His long slender fingers wrapped around her much smaller hand and he closed his eyes. "I'm sorry." He whispered. Nothing further needed to be said at that moment. He needed her comfort and she would give it to him, no matter what.

He was so much taller than her, taller than Edmond or Hugo or anyone else she had ever met. She too closed her eyes - her forehead leaning on the black cotton of his shirt right above his heart - taking in his scent. The warm musk was soothing. She tried to remember Edmond's – hay? Grass? Fresh fruit? She couldn't remember. All she had in her mind was musk and black velvet. She stiffened. And Cináed sensed it immediately.

"What is it?" His eyes asked her silently.

"I…I have to go." And without looking up she left the room and raced to her own apartment, leaving him back alone.

Only after she had closed the door to her bed chamber she allowed the tears to flow. What was happening? What was that? She couldn't remember the scent of the man she loved, but instead was comforting the man who held her captive? The man who had tortured him? The man who had strangled her only moments ago? Why? Why was God doing this to her? She paced around, seeking answers to questions unknown.

A knock on the door made her stop mid-track. Was it him? No, it was only Clarice standing at the door, a warm smile contrasting to the icy expression her features had entailed earlier. "Deep in thought, aren't we?" And she walked past the young girl and sat on the bed. "You seem confused."

"I'm confused since the day I arrived in this god forsaken place!" And she sat down next to Clarice. "I'm sorry. But…I don't know what I should feel right now. It's driving me crazy!" She wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. "There're all these questions spinning around in my head. I'm not used to feel so…so…"

"Confused?"

"Yes, confused. Ahhh, it's not to endure!" She buried her face in her palms. _Edmond, Edmond, Edmond! _Why did it sound so wrong now?

b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b

During the next couple of days, more rumors concerning the beast were spread. Georgiana was surprised with the things she heard. "The beast is a horrid creature half boar half dragon with huge claws! " "No, it's a nine foot dragon, chasing little children in the dark!" "No, the beast is a ghost - A young virgin who lost her lover to the sea, and who's now seeking revenge on everyone." Seriously? Did these people actually listen to what they were saying? On the other side…the truth was quite incredible itself. Anyway, the stories helped to confuse the police, which was all that mattered at the moment.

Cináed was not allowed to leave the castle now. Especially not for hunting trips. Clarice was the one taking charge over the whole affair. They had to appear normal to the outside now more than ever. Should the soldiers find them nervous or agitated or even suspiciously calm…she did not dare think of what could happen, should they decide to talk to Cináed.

He was suffering - she felt it, and it made her feel terrible. Once more he was locking himself away, blocking everything from outside. He did not let her see him. Clarice was the only one who could enter his rooms, and although she did not know why, it send little stitches through her heart. She wanted to see him. She wanted to know if he was alright. The tutoring lessons had of course ended, as well as the music that had filled the air only days ago. It was frustrating. Why was he doing this to himself?

The staff members felt the change too. They send curious looks in Georgiana's direction, but did not ask. Isabeau and Stefanie never lost a word about it, not even about her suddenly wearing a shawl everyday thightly around her neck even in heated rooms. She was thankful for it.

* * *

><p>Okay, here a little translation of the Irish phrases:<p>

-Damnaigh! : Damn!

-Diabhal é a ifreann : Damn it to hell!

Yep, he swears a lot, but he respects her enough to do it in a langage she doesn't actually understand.


	17. New Arrivals

A/N: Hey everyone! The story continues and I had to do some research on the hunt in Gévaudan in order to write this. Let me say that I've never met François Antoine (obviously) and that I describe his character based on my imagination only. He may have been a nice guy, who knows. Anyway I wanted to get this off my conscience. He's been a living person once with feelings after all. Yep, so, just wanted to say this. Enjoy the new chapter and of course review please!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>**7: New Arrivals**

Uncertainty. How she hated that word. But it was the only one that described their situation. Well, maybe not the _only _one – frustration and impatience were good too, but not all residents of the château shared these two, while uncertainty on the other hand hung in the air like thick layers of perfume – nobody could actually see it, but its sole presence could drive you crazy.

Georgiana was now fully convinced that the staff was perfectly indifferent to its master's secret identity. Funny how they all prayed for the beast to be found, how it should be killed by the soldiers or by the royal hunters that came into the area in search of the monster. How would they behave if they knew that the "monster" was only three stories above their heads?

All were exited when news of a Monsieur François Antoine – assigned by His Majesty the king to kill the horrid creature - arrived. His hunting party consisted of eight gamekeepers from the Royal Captaincies of the Hunt, two mounted gamekeepers on loan from the duc d'Orléans, three aides of the duc d'Anjou , a servant and two dog handlers. Rumor had it that he had chased the beast in Gévaudan, and the attacks had ended because of him. People originally had thought he had killed the creature, but this was obviously not true, as everyone now realized. He had not lost his status at court though, still being the king's favorite and Lord of the Bedchamber.

But the habitants of the area really believed he would succeed that time. The moment he arrived everything changed. He ordered the men to form groups – farmers, soldiers, hunters, nobles all worked together – and brought system into the whole business. Even some members of the staff helped the hunt.

With each day that passed her anxiety grew. She had not seen Cináed for days now. Clarice told her it was for her own good and she knew that was true, but still…He had not eaten for days. Clarice tried to help him with potions, but she had need of different herbs and ingredients and she had difficulty getting anything without Antoine's men noticing. They were controlling everything now, and giving them a reason to go on a witch hunt as well was far from smart. It would have almost been hilarious, had it not been so frustrating. And here we come to one of the words mentioned earlier.

One day Antoine himself came to the castle, seeking a conversation with the master. Georgiana could swear that she forgot to breathe the moment he stepped through the entrance. Georgiana had never seen such a pompous man in her entire life. With his manners he was worse than Cinãed had ever been. It was not the fact that he was rich and of consequence – he could show that as much as he liked - but that he talked to the servants as if they were dogs, that he looked at her as if she were a piece of meat on the market. Insufferable!

And as she was no servant she had to attend to him until Clarice arrived from some business she had outside. "And who are you Mademoiselle, if I may be so bold as to ask?" He had asked her while they were waiting in the great salon on the main floor. His eyes were constantly on her and it made her feel uncomfortable. However, she tried to hide it and act as normal as possible.

"No, of course Monsieur. I am a good friend of the housekeeper and decided to visit her for a while."

"But you are acquainted with the count, naturally. Now I know why he has not made his appearance at court for such a long time. With such a pretty flower growing in the garden the gardener will not return to his house." His eyes were fixed on a point below her face. She felt the blood flow into her cheeks and her heart beat quickened. Where was Clarice?

When he stood up from his chair and walked towards her, it was hard not to run away and leave the room. She was seated upon a small settee and he took the place next to her, eyes fixed on her. Trying to remain calm she stared at a small sculpture standing on the low table before her. It was a beautiful piece of art – a boy playing on the flute and a girl dancing next to him. The girl was smiling…Georgiana felt his fingers caressing her cheek, her hair…why had she not put her hair up today? She turned her head towards him, eyes widened in shock. Where was Clarice?

"Come on, girl. Why so shy? You have been living in _his_ house after all." The stupid smile on his stupid face made her feel nauseous. What did he mean by that comment? She tried to back away, but he held her in place with his one hand while the other went up to her décolleté and his face came closer and closer to hers. No! He would not…would he? "Please, let me go Monsieur. Please."

"We're alone. No one will ever know." She closed her eyes in disgust.

Suddenly the door opened, and Cináed stormed into the room. Antoine immediately turned and let go of her. "Ah, dear friend! Your Grace, how are you? Excuse me my sudden reproach on yourself, I know how busy you are, but I bring greetings from His Majesty." The man bowed before him, his face and voice conveying the annoyance he felt on the sudden interruption. Cináed on the other hand did not show any emotion at all. His voice was stern, but neither anger nor rage was visible in his features. Only Georgiana could understand the glistening in his eyes when he looked at Antoine – he was furious.

"Monsieur welcome. I hope you did not have to wait too long. Let me make it up to you. I will ask a servant to bring us some wine while we are discussing your business here. Mademoiselle, would you be so kind…?"Not once did he look in her direction. His eyes were on the man before him. As soon as he had finished she took the hint. He wanted her to leave and she was more than happy to do so. "Of course, Messieurs, I will leave you now. Monsieur Antoine, it has been a pleasure." It took a lot of strength to curtsey and look at the man.

"Mademoiselle, I hope we will be able to continue our conversation at another time." Then he bowed and gave her a mischievous smile. Behind him she could see Cináed staring at him, eyes burning with furry. She turned and closed the door behind her.

_What __an insufferable, intolerable, terrible excuse for a man! Who does he think he _is_?_ God, she did not dare think of what might have happened had Cináed not come at that moment. She still felt the burning trail his fingers had left on her skin, and felt the urge to wash. Now!

b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b

_What does it take him so long__? _She had paced through the room for the last hour, praying that nothing would happen while he and Antoine were downstairs. Clarice had been mad when she had told her of the two men being alone in the salon. "We're dead!" She had said it so quietly that no one but Georgiana had been able to hear it.

Now she was waiting for him in his apartments, hoping that everything was fine. Then finally she heard steps from outside and the door opened. She wanted to go to him, ask what had happened, but when she saw the look in his eyes she stopped mid-track.

"What are you doing here?" His voice was low. She did not like the tone it had, it made her shiver unconsciously. "Leave."

"But…"

"Are you deaf? Leave, before I forget myself!" He hissed without looking at her. His appearance reminded her once more that he was not fully human. She almost expected the ball of light to appear and reveal the wolf that hid behind his face. Fine with her, if he wanted to be unreasonable she would let him be so. Let him burn in hell.

"Fine." She smashed the door behind her. _What is his problem? He's not better than the other. _


	18. Moonlight Sonata

A/N: Hey! I'm sorry you had to wait for the new chap. Hope you all like it. I've started watching Boys over Flowers now and its quite addicting. I haven't slept for the last two nights and wasn't able to write because I'm watching it all the time 8X. So anyway please enjoy and leave a comment if you like.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 18: Moonlight Sonata<strong>

„Clarice. We need to talk." Georgiana was relieved to find the old lady alone in one of the corridors on the main floor. She did not want the others to hear.

"How did it go? What did Antoine want?" She had run through the whole building in search of the housekeeper and had to catch her breath now. She looked at the woman with expectation.

"Well…I believe it went quite well. As far as I know they talked about business, but Cináed did not tell me anything in particular. Did he say anything to you?"

"No, that's why I came to you." She sighted in frustration. "Wait…He didn't tell you? You mean…you weren't there? But I thought…"

"He didn't want me there. I have no idea what they talked about." Both women looked to the ground.

"This is not good. He could have done something to the man. He could have given himself away so easily."

"But, he has the brew. Why doesn't it help him anymore? Did something happen?"

"It seems the curse is finally expanding…" Clarice shook her head absently, her eyes staring into the air.

"What?"

"He's lived now for so long. Yes, he's been turning into a wolf all the time, but he was always in control of his feelings and actions. He only started to need the potion about five years ago. But still…everything was fine up until now. The demonic part always held the wolf in check. But now…"

"What do you mean…does that mean…" Her throat tightened a little. "Please tell me what is going on?"

"His body can't fight the curse any longer. It seems he's turning into a wolf now for good. He spends more and more time in his lupine form now, his senses grow better and better…There's no other explanation."

"But…can't you do anything against it? Something to prevent the curse from expanding?" The lump in her throat grew bigger and bigger. Clarice gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry." Then she walked away and left Georgiana alone to her thoughts.

_This can't be true. No! I…why do you even care, Georgiana? What is he to you? Who cares if he becomes a real wolf or not? I don't._

But try as she might, the tears would not be kept away.

b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b

It was night when she saw him again. Standing on the dark veranda, wearing only a light cotton shirt and dark breeches, his skin illuminated by the moonlight, he reminded her of the stories Adelaide used to tell her children and Georgiana when they were little - stories about good angels and bad demons, and how the angels used to protect the world from the latter ones. But now, seeing him there, she could not believe that anything like a _bad _demon could even exist. How could something so beautiful be bad?

He did not turn when she stepped beside him. Both just looked at the dark landscape. No sound was to be heard in the crisp night air. The silence was somewhat comforting. Only after what seemed like a small eternity he spoke softly.

"You'll catch your death in this coldness." He did not move.

She simply shrugged her shoulders "I don't care." She looked up at his face, taken aback by the beauty that met her eyes. His eyes were glistening in the moonlight, his skin pale white and contrasting sharply with his black hair. She did not know why, but she suddenly felt a pang in her heart.

"You really are suicidal." A faint smile appeared on his lips, but it vanished in the same moment. "I'm sorry the lessons had to end."

"Don't be. It was nice as long as it lasted. Now…You've taught me more than enough and now I can even read the books in my room." She gave him a bright smile. "Thank you."

"I've heard that you've made progress in English." He still would not look in her direction.

"How did you…"

He chuckled quietly. "Clarice told me you're practicing alone in your room, when you think no one's listening. If you like you can practice with her. She said she'd like to help you at least in that."

"I don't want to be a burden."

He finally turned towards her. His voice was gentle and soft when he spoke. "You aren't. You are everything but a burden."

Shivers ran down her body, but she did not know why. Why did she feel so strange every time she was with him?

Again there was silence. Questions were spinning in her head, but she did not dare ask. He felt her nervousness.

"What do you want to know?" He asked, his face turned towards the night sky once more.

"What did he want? Why did he come?" Did that man know about Cináed?

He closed his eyes for a brief moment then walked to a stone bench on the edge of the veranda. He sat dawn and ran with his fingers through his hair.

"He wanted me to join the hunt."

"What? But…that means he doesn't know, right? What did you say?"

"I've told him that I will help the men and that some of my staff will join the groups. What else could I have said?"

"But what if…" He interrupted her angrily. "He won't get suspicious if I help them to some extend. And he would never dare to blame someone above his station. I'm immune to suspicion as long as there's no proof of my guilt."

"He called you _Your Grace_." She remembered Antoine calling him a friend and bowing.

"Outside of the walls of this castle I'm the duke of Milan. He can't accuse me without offending the king. Louis has given this estate to me as a sign of recognition. The amount of money I gave to the French crown surmounts the price of this land. He owes me a lot, and if Antoine should ever speak against me and be in fault then he risks his head. He knows that."

"Are you really a duke?" She knew he was wealthy, but she had no idea about his title. A lump made her throat tighter.

"You can buy more than a simple title if you use money and lies. I own houses all around the world. Africa, the Middle East, Asia…everything is possible with wealth." His voice was sour and he frowned in thought. Georgiana all of a sudden felt the urge to erase these frowns with her fingers. She immediately crossed her arms behind her back. _What's wrong with me?_

"So you know him well? Antoine? He seemed to have a certain opinion of you." She looked everywhere but into his face. It was not easy to think of this man and not kick at something. She was angry when thinking about how she stupidly sat there while that insufferable man had caressed her cheek. She did not like to think about what almost had happened.

He looked at her with an unreadable spark in his eyes. He slowly stood up and walked to her. When he stopped only inches in front of her she raised her head to look at his face. She was shivering, but not because of the coldness. He raised his hand and delicately put a lock that had escaped the bun of hair on her nape behind her ear. His fingertips barely touched her cheek and his touch caused goose bumps to appear on her arms and her knees to weaken. She forgot how to breathe. She lost herself in the depth of his mercury eyes. She remembered when she had stood like this together with…_Edmond_. She suddenly felt awful and guilty. In shame she turned her head away, not daring to meet the glance of the man in front of her. What was she doing?

Cináed understood and drew back. She felt his stare on her back like fire burning her skin. Then he left silently.

The moment she was alone she closed her eyes, but she could not prevent the tears from emerging instantly. What was she doing? Hell, what was she even thinking? How could she forget about Edmond so easily? Edmond was the man she loved, the man she would marry, the man she would be together for the rest of her life. How could she dare betray his trust?

But why had it felt so good to be with Cináed? Why had his fingers caressing her cheek felt so right? Why had she reacted to his touch with shivering and goose bumps?

After standing outside for a while, crying in silence, she entered the house and went to her rooms. When she reached the door of her apartment she heard the piano from upstairs. Confusion, frustration, guilt – the music reflected her feeling perfectly. She took a shaky breath and finally pushed the door to her chambers open. The piano ended and for a brief moment bright light came from the master's apartment on the upper floor, then everything was embraced by darkness.


	19. Something Wrong

A/N: hey everyone. This is probably going to be the last chap for some time. The reason is that my old computer has some major problems and I can't safe any files. I'll see what I can do. Thank you for the nice reviews. I might be able to update after all, I don't know. Okay having this said I wish you a good day and hope you like the new chap. Leave a review if you like. I would really appreciate it.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 19: Something Wrong<strong>

The snow had melted and the dark hills and trees were once more visible against the grey winter sky. The hunters had fewer difficulties now that the ground was freed from snow and ice, or so they had thought. But the beast would not appear anymore, would not leave traces or come to find its prey amongst the peasants. They did not know that the monster they were so desperately looking for was confined in his apartment, getting angrier and more dangerous every day.

Georgiana could hear the growls, the roars and the sound of wood and glass shattering, everyone in the house could. Even Clarice rarely entered his chambers now. She could tell that the housekeeper was worried. "Try to cage a wolf for almost a month. What did you expect?" She had shaken her head and closed her eyes. Georgiana was worried. If Clarice could not help, what would happen? He was out of control. Every time she heard something shattering she winced although it happened every day. Was there anything left in his rooms that he had not already demolished?

Antoine had not come to the château again and she was thankful for that. It meant fewer problems. She had not changed her opinion of the man, but the staff and the farmers praised him. He was their saviour, a gift send from God and a sign of His Majesty's kindness – utter nonsense, as Georgiana thought. He had not done anything since he had arrived. The proof for that was pacing and roaring three stories above her head.

Of course the members of the staff could hear the noise coming from upstairs, but they surprisingly said nothing. They were so loyal to their master that they did not loose one word about it. Georgiana was surprised. That did not make any sense at all. Any normal person would get suspicious right away. Perhaps it was foolishness, or maybe they were really devoted to him in some very strange way, but she was nonetheless impressed and deeply grateful.

Georgiana spend most of her time with Isabeau, Stefanie and the other maids, but she continued to read with great affection. The books gave her something she could not find through the people around her – a connection to him. Although she still felt horrible because of her feelings and tried to think of Edmond as much as she had when she had first arrived, she needed Cináed by her side. She could not feel calm unless she could see him, but this was now impossible. And the fact that he was suffering made her suffer as well. Her friends knew something was wrong, but she would not talk with them about it. It was not something she could or would tell them.

Edmond. Every night when she was lying in her bed she would try to recall his face, his voice, his scent. She would clasp the small wooden heart with both her hands, but every time she would see pictures of Cináed instead – black hair, mercury eyes that glowed like silver when he stared at the moon, a voice like black velvet…What was wrong with her? That was sick! Sick and Stupid and Foolish!

It was the same in that night. Why was that happening? What had she done in her life to deserve that? She wished Christine would be by her side. Her sweet Chrissy, her dear sister. How she wished she could talk to her. But how could she write a letter about how she was betraying her brother, her family? How could she write that she felt safe with the man who held her captive? She could not write about that. And she would never, ever, ever go to Clarice. Oh, why was life so hard? Others did not have so many problems, why she? Was it not enough that she lost her parents? No, of course not! She needed to develop feelings for a monster. Rubbish!

Noise from outside made her listen carefully. It was late. No one should be awake at that hour. Again there was noise, coming from the corridor. Someone was there. She stood up and quietly walked to the door, carefully pushing it open.

She saw a bright light coming of the direction of the staircase. It disappeared within moments – Cináed! She ran now. Why had he left his rooms? Where was Clarice? Was he alright? But when she reached the staircases her eyes widened and her heart beat so rapidly she could hear it. There he was sitting on the ground, leaning against the wooden railing of the stairs. He was clutching his shoulder with one hand. When she reached him he looked at her, but his eyes seemed to look through her.

"What are you doing here? What happened?" She gasped when he removed his hand and she could see the dark glistening stains on his shirt. That was not…it could not be…blood? He was breathing deeply, but no sound would escape his lips. He closed his eyes tightly and opened them again.

Feeling her hands shake she knelt before him in shock. "What happened to you?"

His voice was raspy and he panted between breaths. "I went hunting." A faint smile that did not reach his eyes appeared. That was no time for being ironic.

"Are you crazy? No, are you brain dead? How could you do this?" She helped him stand up, her arm stabilizing him while they walked upstairs to his chambers. "Stupid! Completely stupid, that's what you are! Did you forget that there are over thirty men outside waiting for you to do something like that? Stupid!" She pushed him down on his bed – the only piece of furniture not destroyed in the room - and ripped of his shirt. It seemed like a small piece of flesh had been ripped away and the blood continued to stream out. How much blood had he already lost? He was even paler than usual.

"Stay here. I'll go fetch Clarice." Her own voice was shaky. She raced down the staircase, ignoring the lump in her throat.

When she brought Clarice the old woman's reaction resembled her own perfectly.

"What have you done you foolish boy? Are you crazy?" She examined the wound and opened the tiny box she had brought with her. "How am I supposed to help you if you act like a brainless idiot?"

"Shut up." His voice was not louder than a whisper, but the growl that came with it made Georgiana worry.

Clarice soon held bandages, a needle, a small bottle, thread and a knife in her hands. "Georgiana, take these and put them on the table there. I'm going to need them later." And she only kept the knife, clutched tightly in her right hand. "Now, come here. I want you to hold him still while I work on his shoulder. Hold his head. I don't have any narcotics for him, and I need to do this now, before he looses more blood. Stupid boy! Are you happy now?"

"Shut up!" Again a growl. But his eyes were unfocused, and sweat appeared on his forehead.

Georgiana held his head down on her own shoulder, taking his hand in hers.

"Right. I'll start now. Try to take deep breaths. This might hurt a little." And she began to cut away more flesh, causing more and more blood to flow. The moment she dipped with the blades into the wound he stiffened and held her hand so firmly it would have hurt her normally, but now she met the grip with almost equal strength, her other hand buried in his black curls so that he could not move his head. A growl, definitely not human escaped his lips and she bit on her lips, tightening her grip. No roar, no whimper, no scream. She still remembered the Edmonds screams when she had raced through the castle to find him. She felt his cold sweat on her shoulder, his blood on her skin and clothes, but she did not care.

Finally Clarice closed the skin with stitches and put some white lotion from the bottle on the wound. "It will help getting the poison out of his body."

"Poison?"

"There were splinters of arsenic inside the wound and some other toxic substances. Has anybody seen you?" She bandaged the shoulder and put the utensils back into the box.

He raised his head and stood up shaky, but did not give an answer.

"Are you deaf? Has anybody seen you?" Clarice raised her voice. Her hands were covered in blood.

"What do you think?" He whispered - his vision still dazed - and looked at her. "Why else would you find poison in my body? I don't put this stuff inside of me for fun."

He took a step and broke down. Georgiana rushed to his side, but he pushed her away and tried to stand up again. "_Damnaigh sé_." His voice was still low, his eyes unfocused. His behaviour scared her. Something was wrong.

"So somebody did see you? Have you done something?" The housekeeper was clearly annoyed and her color changed from white to red. "I swear if you killed someone this time I'll…"

"Calm down old hag, I didn't kill him."

"Then he's injured? That's worse for he's seen you. Oh, we're all dead. For thousand years there were no problems with you and now this. Look at you! You can barely stand on your own feet."

"Shut up." The sparkle in his eyes was downright dangerous.

"No, I won't shut up. This concerns me as well as you. If they find you, then your mother's sacrifice was for nothing."

A bright light appeared and blinded Georgiana for a moment. When it went out she saw the black wolf crouched over the old housekeeper, his fangs bared. She gasped. Clarice did not move an inch and Georgiana was sure that the woman had stopped breathing. The girl took a careful step towards them. "Cináed." Another step. "Please." Her voice was soft, barely more than a whisper. She reached out and touched the black fur on his back for the first time. It was as soft as silk.

He growled, but eventually moved away from the old woman. The light appeared again. "Leave me alone. Both of you." And he sat down on the bed, burying his face in his palms.

"Come Georgiana." Clarice stood up and took her hand. She noticed the sweat on the elder woman's forehead.

"But..."

"Come Georgiana." She said again, this time with greater force in her voice. Georgiana had no choice but to follow her out of the room. The moment she closed the door behind her she noticed that her whole body was shaking and her heartbeat racing.

* * *

><p>Translation Irish-English:<p>

_Damnaigh sé _= Damn it


	20. His Smile

A/N: Ha! I am able to update after all (no, my computer's not fixed yet, but I've found a trick.). Anyway I hope you like the new chap. Oh man, we're slowly reaching the end. It's somehow sad, but there're still four or five chapters until the end, maybe even more. I hope you'll stick with me and the story till the very end :) Enjoy and I wish you all a nice day.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 20: His Smile<strong>

„Are you going to keep still? I can't do this if you move constantly." Georgiana tried to look at him as angry as possible, but the smile upon her lips would not go away. He was such a baby.

"It hurts. It's not my fault if I move. Try to stay still if you're feeling like a knife cuts through your shoulder." He hissed the moment she put the damp cloth over the healing skin. But the sparkle in his eyes was good-humored.

He was recovering well and the sutures on his shoulder would soon be no longer necessary. She knew the delicate skin was still hurting – he could not move his arm freely or lift it yet – but he was recovering much sooner than a human would have done in the same condition. The accident had only happened the day before yesterday, after all. She sighted.

"What babies you men can sometimes be. It's strange that you call yourselves the strong gender. While you whine after every cut, we have to endure childbirth and we have no medieval witch with healing potions to give us relief." She had once helped a young neighbor conceive her child. She knew what she was talking about, and it was not funny.

"Yes, but we men fight in battles. It's neither funny to get your head or a leg chopped off." He replied with a pressed voice. "Hey be careful with that cloth."

"I have to clean the wound. The old skin has to be removed." She gently applied some pressure and he hissed again. "You didn't react that much when Clarice made the surgery. Any way, you men fight only because you're too lazy to find a reasonable sensible diplomatic solution. Women have to bear an heir in order to be accepted by you. You think that you have the right to call yourselves superior to us and other men, to say that this and that belongs to you, but at the end you are dependant upon us."

"You have read far too many books about the Age of Reason, woman. What was it this time? Rousseau? I wonder who was foolish enough to teach you how to read." The sly smile was literally demanding an answer. She giggled.

"Well let me think…I believe that you are the one to blame. I'm sorry, but everything speaks against you."

"Indeed how could I?" He turned his head to look at her, his dark eyes boring into hers.

All of a sudden she realized with great shock that she was sitting close to a man without his shirt, her hand touching the skin of his upper arm and grazing his neck. Her heartbeat jumped and she instantly looked down. That was a huge mistake, as her eyes were now transfixed by the white soft-looking skin of his back, the smooth yet strong appearing muscles of his arms. She practically felt how her cheeks grew darker and darker by the moment and she closed her eyes in shame.

Delicate finger moved under her chin and forced her to raise her head. She opened her eyes. His face was only inches away from hers. She could not look away – high cheekbones, angular yet smooth features, a well-shaped nose, black curly hair that fell into his forehead. She somehow felt the urge to stroke it away, but she could not move. His eyes pierced into her soul and it send chills down her spine. His face seemed to come closer and closer and she gazed at his lips. How smooth and full they looked. She again raised her gaze to his eyes.

Their noses were almost touching and she closed her eyes. His sweet breath hit her when he spoke. "I think that is enough cleaning." Then he stood up and walked towards a chair where she had laid a fresh clean shirt for him earlier.

The sudden motion made her dizzy. "Ah, yes, I think you're right. I'll tell Clarice that you don't need the lotion anymore." She did not dare look at him and after gathering the old bandages and cloths she left his rooms almost running. Upon closing the door behind her she gasped. _What was that? You did not actually think about ...kissing this guy, right? God, how can you be so stupid? Stupid, stupid, stupid. _And why this strange tone all of a sudden? Ha, what do I care anyway? __She badly wanted to slap herself, but how could she do that? He would hear it. The bastard probably laughed at her behind the door right now. Jerk! How she wished she could disappear through a hole in the ground. That was all his fault.

She angrily walked down to the kitchen and found Stefanie sitting at the long table in the room. Her condition immediately changed and she smiled. "Hey how are you? Where's Isabeau?" She put the cloths on the table and took the seat next to her friend.

"Ah, she went with Sabine and the men to visit the hunters. They are still searching for the creature. The man who was injured two days ago said that it was a black wolf. He can't continue taking part in the chase, but his son is still helping the groups."

"Did he see where the wolf went after the attack? I've heard that the animal was badly injured during the encounter." _Not badly enough,_ she though with an ironic sparkle in her eyes. _How could he be so foolish? He knew the risks._

"I don't know. He himself was fatally wounded and he's still not awoken. He almost lost his right leg and some of his ribs are broken. He's been unconscious since. Some say he won't last until the end of the week, so bad is his condition."

"Poor man. Do you know who he is?"

"No, I…" In that moment the large double-door opened and a happy looking Monsieur Laurent stepped into the warm kitchen.

"Salut mes chéries! What would you like to eat today? Georgiana, have you ever tried crème brûlée?

b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b

"And they said that you only need a rope to achieve it. Incredible, isn't it." Marcus laughed. The gardeners had arrived after a discussion with the hunters and where now in the kitchen, amusing themselves with stories and wine. Everyone was listening, eager to hear news about Antoine's current achievements in the investigation. They had yet to find the beast, but the attacked farmer's son said he had seen it as he had arrived just in time to save his father and he was the one who had injured the wolf with a toxic weapon. The farmer himself had yet to awaken and his condition was still unstable.

Blood had been found leading to a small river about half a mile away from the farmer's cottage, but the dogs had soon lost track and as no further signs were found the hunting groups had to return.

"But is it really the beast of Gévaudan? Maybe it's just a simple wolf, there're more than enough of them in the woods, or perhaps a bear." The maidservants exchanged doubtful glances.

"Girls I fear it is not just a normal animal. My own brother lived in Gévaudan at the time of the attacks. He lost his wife to that monster. I tell you that a creature such as this is send from the devil himself." Vincent, Cináed's second valet took a sip from his bottle. "They say its fur is as black as the night and its eyes shine in a deep red like the fires of hell. It's almost as tall as a man and faster than anything ever seen before. Its fangs are like daggers and it chases adults and children, but never other animals. I shall be damned if that thing is not a demon."

"So many people have lost their lives. Vincent what do the nobles think of it. You always accompany the master when he joins Antoine and the others. It has to be very important for the master to take part in the whole investigation." Isabeau sighted and stood up to help Monsieur Laurent clean the fire place.

Georgiana spoke up for the first time since the conversation had started. "Does somebody actually know who the injured peasant is?"

Gregoire, one of the stable boys, tried to remember. "I'm not sure. Something with a _H _or a _V_." He taped his friends.

Vincent took another sip. "It was a Hugo Valons, I believe. His son's name is Edmond. Why, do you know them?"


	21. Escape

A/N: Hey new chap's here :). I'm somehow not really sure about how I wrote this one. What do you think? Anyway have a nice day and the next chapter will (hopefully) follow soon.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 21: Escape<strong>

Her throat tightened and her vision blurred. She could not breathe anymore. _No! This can't be true. Please, God tell me this is not true! _"What?"

"Do you know Hugo? His children are about your age." Vincent eyed her. He could see that something was not right with the young girl. "Are you alright? You seem a little pale."

"No, no. I'm fine." She was not. Tightly did she close her eyes and tried to calm herself down. One, two, three…with deep breaths Georgiana tried to get a hold of herself. But it got worse and worse. "Excuse me." And she walked out of the kitchen as calmly as she could, but as soon as she was on the corridor she raced up the staircase. Her legs seemed to move on their own. Breathing, moving, thinking – she lost control of everything. When she reached his doors she entered without hesitating.

The moment she pushed the large wooden doors open she was blinded by the light and seconds later he stood before her. He had obviously been in his lupine form only moments ago. Suddenly she felt like her feet were nailed upon the floor.

"Please tell me this is a lie." Her voice was barely more than a whisper. She cursed herself for not speaking louder, but it was impossible for her to do so at that moment. "Please, tell me they are lying."

He did not look at her. He did not look affected in any way. Without giving her a response he sat down on a chair next of the piano forte and crossed his legs.

"Cináed!" She had to keep herself from yelling now. She normally was not an impatient person, but she wanted an answer. What Vincent had said...it could not be true, right? It could not.

Finally he spoke, his voice alarmingly calm and dismissive. "I have no wish to deny what I've done." She gasped. He admitted to have almost killed her father? Still looking somewhat absent-minded he continued. "He was easy prey - all alone in the woods in the middle of the night." A light chuckle escaped his lips and his gaze was fixed on his fingers.

"You...you won't deny it? So you...you really did attack him? But why? Why did you do that?" She was confused. Why would he willently try to kill somebody? He never killed people willently...right? He just had difficulties controling himself when being a wolf. That was all. That had to be all. But his cold animal-like voice pushed her thoughts aside and send a stake through her heart.

"I'm a wolf after all. We kill, there's nothing wrong with it. And he made himself an easy prey by walking alone in the darkness of the night. What a stupid old man." The smile on his face made her insides scream.

"Don't you dare call my father stupid. Are you actually listening to yourself?" Then she remembered something. "Edmond…Edmond came. You saw him." Her head was spinning. "You saw him. You knew who he was and you still attacked? They're my family!" She faught against the tears. Was he crazy?

"That's not you who's speaking. You would never do such a thing on purpose!" Even she could hear the frustration in her voice. With every word he uttered her heart was pierced by thousands of needles.

"Why should I care about family bonds? What are these people to me, other than food?" He still did not seem in any way affected by the angry and agitated girl in front of him. Why was he like that? She wanted him to be angry as well, she wanted a reaction. Something that showed that he was at least sorry, but there was no trace of guilt in his face. "This whole discussion bores me."

She had enough of it. "Yes, why should you care? You don't have a family, after all. You don't know what love is." Finally he stood up and looked at her. "What kind of man are you?"

"_I don't know what love is_, is this all? You're repeating yourself. Try to find better arguments."

"Does it really feel good? To hide behind these walls? Like a coward?" He took a step towards her. "Only cowards hide themselves. Have a thousand years done nothing? Even humans are able to take responsibility for their actions, but you are a shame."

"I am a shame? Oh, and let me guess. Your Edmond is all noble and correct? That's why you're here in the first place. Letting a naïve little girl pay for his own stupidity." He approached her more, his words almost not audible against the growl that came from his chest. "Yes, he's quite the role model!" His tone was dripping with sarcasm.

She threw her arms in the air. "He's more of a man than you will ever be! But how can you know? The only thing you've ever received was the attention of your whores! Antoine has made it perfectly clear what all the world thinks of you." Her breathing grew heavy. "Tell me, where all of them strangers? Because no one who knows you could feel anything else than disdain and pity for this poor excuse of a man."

"Jealous? Why you're not better than them. You've thrown yourself into the arms of that scum without hesitation." He laughed, but his eyes spitted fire. His snarl was not the one of a human, the wolf in him was more than just traceable in his features. Without realizing it they were only inches away from each other. He continued scornfully. "I wonder what would've happened had I not entered in that moment. Not bad for a country virgin."

She heard the slap rather than felt it. When she saw the red imprint of her hand on his left cheek her eyes widened. But she had no chance to react as in the same moment her grabbed her arms forcefully and pressed his lips against hers with such a strenght, that in any other situation it would have hurt. But now she met him with equal agitation. There was no space left between their bodies. Her mind quitted thinking.

Her lips were burning. His one hand let go of her arm and buried itself deep in her curls and finaly rested on the curve of her nape, but his other hand was still holding her arm in place. When his hot tongue came forth and traced her bottom lip she could not keep the moan from escaping and she opened her mouth. Only then did she realize what she was doing.

She pushed him away with all force she could afford and he let go of her. She turned away from him. She was breathing with great effort , her heart threatened to jump out of her chest and her body was shivering. No. No!_ No!_ Her legs were no longer able to keep her upright and she sank down to her knees like a stone, her back facing him.

She felt like having a fever – her face was hot and her eyes were unfocused. Without expression they stared at the ground. _What have I done? What have I done? I'm not better than his prostitutes. No!_

_He has taken my first kiss! Monster! Monster! _She could not help it – the tears began to stream down her cheeks, blurring her vision even more. She had to leave! Now!

He did not say anything. All the time she could hear him breathing hard behind her, but neither said a word. Only when she heard the sound of wood crashing on the wall behind her, she woke up from her trance. Then she stood up. She left the room without looking back and he did not call her back.

She rushed to her room, her feet almost not touching the ground and paced through the chamber. What should she do? She could no longer stay here in this house. His house! Screw her promise, he had already broken his. She only went to the nightstand beside her bed and took the small wooden heart into her fist then she left the room for the last time.

She hoped no one would see her, no one would see the tears that continued to wet her face. But she was not lucky. As soon as she reached the stables she saw Clarice, obviously waiting for her.

"Don't try to persuade me otherwise." Feigning disinterest she walked to her horse's box and took a saddle and headgear. She began to saddle the animal while waiting for the housekeeper's response. The situation was somewhat like a déjà vu. But surprisingly the old woman did not try to keep her back. "Take care." That was all.

"Tell the others good by from me. I'm sorry." She hesitated then led the animal into the crisp air. The sun was already descending and she saw the moon. Today was full moon. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she mounted and rode away, not looking back at the building that had been her home for the past three months.

She felt filthy and dirty and her lips were still burning, as if they wanted to torment her further.

Only the fresh air helped her to calm down a little, and the tears stopped after a while. But the dizziness stayed. How could she face her family? How could she return to the people who loved her? She had betrayed their love and was now unworthy of it. But on the other side she had to see Hugo. She wanted to see her father again. She wanted to see her mother and her siblings again. She wanted to feel safe and have someone embrace and comfort her.

On the other hand, how could somebody comfort her? She would never mention what had happened to anyone. How could she? He was a monster after all. A monster that every one in the area was looking for. No one would understand her actions and the feelings of sympathy she had felt towards him. And she was ashamed of them. She was ashamed of her feelings. She was ashamed of her reaction, of every second she had spent in his presence, of every smile she had given him. Of the ki…no! She could not and would not think of that! It made her feel even more like a common whore, and he had certainly called her one. She tried to concentrate on the dark trees that passed by, and the horse's breath that was visible in the dark atmosphere.

But why, why had it felt _so right_?


	22. Safe All the Time

A/N: Hey guys! First of all I'm sooooo sorry that it took me so long for this chapter. School started again and we get grades back every day.

And second: Thank you all for the kind comments. Hey I swear every time I get a mail about how somebody has put me on Story Alert or Fav Stories or has left a review I squeal like a chicken on crack. You're amazing! And to answer the question of Lbelula – sorry but I'd like them to suffer a bit more ;) (evil laugh). You'll see what's gonna happen. Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 22: Safe All the Time<strong>

Home. She finally was home again. She slowly appeared behind the woods and saw her family's cottage and the ones of their neighbors. She had only been away for a few months but it felt like a year. From the windows she could see the faint shine of candles and she knew they were still awake. The whole scene reminded her of the one night ten years in the past when she had arrived here for the first time together with Hugo. Back then it had been a completely unknown place, with people she had never met before. Now it meant family, love, warmth. Carefully she dismounted and took the reins in her hand, leading the horse silently to the houses. Now that she was actually here she grew worried. How should she tell them she was here? Did they even want her back? _Of course they do, stupid. You're part of their family now. How can you even think such a thing?_

When she finally reached the stables she led the now tired mare to her box and gave her a bunch of apples she found in a corner on the ground. That brought a smile to her face. Marie had always left apples or carrots in the stables because the little girl loved horses more than anything else.

Without making any sound she stepped out again and made her way towards the little cottage that for the last decade had been the centre of her life. Everything was as she remembered it. Nothing had changed in all that time. She was only steps away from the door but before she reached it, it opened and a disheveled looking Christine was staring at her with wide eyes. Georgiana was thankful for the darkness, as she did not want her sister to see her blush. "I'm back."

Christine was actually a very slender figure, so Georgiana was surprised at the force her sister embraced her with. "I can see you're back, you stupid, stubborn, suicidal girl." She wrapped her arms around her and Georgiana felt like she could not breathe anymore. She was not sure though whether it was because of the hug or because of the hot tears rolling down her cheeks. Maybe it was both. She tightly wrapped her arms around her sister with a laugh. "I missed you so, so much!"

She had no idea how long they stood like that but after a while Christine loosened her hold a bit and they looked at each other's faces. Both were crying, both were laughing, both were tousled – Georgiana gave her a peck of the cheek and took her friend's hands. "What happened to you? You look as if you had tried to catch chicken in the darkness."

"What happened to me? My sister comes back after months of being held captive by God knows what and you ask me what happened to me? Are you mental?"

"Georgiana?" Both girls turned at the faint voice. Adelaide was staring with even greater disbelief than Christine at her younger daughter. "Is it really you?"

"I'm back, Maman." And she let go of Christine's hands and closed the distance to the teary-eyed woman. "I'm back for real."

"Oh my daughter! My daughter is back, thank God! Are you alright? Has anything happened to you?" The anxious look on her mother's face made Georgiana laugh.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" And she gave Adelaide a peck on each cheek. "Yes, I'm perfectly fine. And you? How is Papa?" She felt shame for having almost forgotten about Hugo the moment she had seen Christine on the door frame. She wanted to see him, to know that he was alright.

"You have already heard of it? We would have sent you a letter with Michel's help but we weren't sure whether you would actually receive it."

"So, Michel's here too? When did you arrive?"

Christine ran her fingers through her hair. The sight made Georgiana flinch, reminding her of Cináed's habit to do the same when being agitated. Luckily neither of them noticed her reaction. "Only a few hours ago. Believe me, you wouldn't find me in such a state had I not spent the last couple hours with Maman and Papa instead of brushing my hair or taking of the travel-attire. I really have to change. The whole journey in the carriage was a torture, but we wanted to come as soon as possible."

They both led her inside the house, eagerly taking her by the hand. "Are you hungry? Maman has just prepared dinner. Michel and Edmond are gone but will probably return at any moment as well. You must tell us what happened."

"Chrissy, nothing happened, I assure you. Why do you keep asking?" She did not like the direction that whole thing was heading. Could they not speak of something she was more comfortable with at the moment?

"You cannot really expect us to believe that. From what I've heard Edmond was attacked by a wolf, you went to rescue him, and he returned home covered in blood and almost unconscious and you were missing for three months. That's not something that happens every day, really. Did anyone harm you?" Christine's eyes begged her silently to tell her every thing and Adelaide as well seemed to listen attentively, though she was busy cleaning the kitchen table and scoop the hot soup into five bowls.

_I'm not so sure. _"No, they were all really kind to me. Two of the maids, Isabeau and Stefanie, you'd love them. And the rest of the staff as well. The cook, Monsieur Laurent, knows a lot of French and Italian dishes by heart. So believe me when I say that I'm fine." She smiled at the beautiful memories she had of her time in the château. She regretted not having said good bye to her friends, but she could not have stayed there any longer. They would not have understood her and probably tried to persuade her otherwise. No, it was good that way. It had to be.

"I fear Papa is not so well. He hasn't woken up since the attack. His arm has several fractures and he had bite marks all over his arms and torso. Luckily he only lost a finger. I don't want to know what kind of beast that was to cause such damage."

_I do know the beast that caused this. _"Can I see him?"

"Sure, but eat first. It's cold outside and a warm dish will warm you up." Adelaide began to blow over her spoon, before she took a sip. Christine and Georgiana soon followed her example, as the two men were still nowhere to be seen. Georgiana felt how the hot liquid went down her sore throat, the warmth spreading all over her body. Her stiff bones relaxed a little.

"Georgie, you talked of maids and a cook earlier. Where were you actually all this time? Edmond the idiot refused to tell us anything of value." Christine stood up to bring a loaf of bread and broke a piece off to eat with the soup.

_They don't know? So they don't know that I lived in the beast's house?_ "Where did you think I was all this time? In a cave in the middle of the woods?" She had hoped the little joke would help her relax a bit, but it did not and she bit down on her lips.

"Well…yes we did actually. We had no idea where you were or why you had to stay there. Edmond just said you were safe in that place. You could have left the country and we wouldn't have known."

"But you said you wanted to write a letter to inform me of Papa. How did you want to do that without even knowing my position? Did Michel know?"

"No, but…you're totally right, that's completely stupid." Adelaide smiled but the smile fainted away soon. "No, we thought that Michel could write it and Edmond, being the only one who knew where you were, would bring it to you. It does sound strange, now that I think of it."

"It does a little. But I wonder why Edmond didn't tell you." _Had they known I was so close to home…So they don't know of Cin…his existence. _She refused to use his name, the fight had only happened three hours ago, perhaps less. The corners of her eyes grew watery, but she fought against the urge to cry. She would not cry because of him now. She would never see him again. She should be happy now and not think about that monster any more.

"Georgie, hey are you still listening?" Christine waved with one hand before her sister's face.

"Eh?"

"I asked where you actually did spend the last months if it wasn't in a cave."

"Oh, I…well I was…"

"She was in a duke's house. I told you she was alright there." Georgiana turned as soon as she heard the cold, yet familiar voice coming from the door way. The young man was standing in front of them, staring her down with eyes like ice.

She gulped. "Edmond, you're here."


	23. Good News for A Change

A/N: Hi every one! The story goes on and there's still much to happen. I have a French exam next week, so I don't know if I'll be able to update every two days or so, but I'll do my best. I hope you'll be patient with me. So thanks for the reviews and enjoy the new chapter :)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 23: Good News for A Change<strong>

What should she do? How should she behave? A rush of emotions ran through her body, leaving a tingling sensation that made her slightly dizzy again. Here, as she stared into his cold ocean blue eyes, she suddenly felt al the guilt, the thrill, the confusion and frustration that had haunted her for too long now. She saw Edmond – her lover, her friend and future husband – but she could only feel Cináed's touch on her skin, his hot lips on hers. The prickling would not leave and the blond man's stare made it only worse. She felt like a slut more than ever.

Behind Edmond Michel appeared out of the darkness and came to her smiling brightly. "Georgiana, are you well? You have been greatly missed." He kissed her on both cheeks. "We worried for you a great deal. Chris wouldn't stop crying." A smile grazed his lips, but his eyes revealed real concern. After his speech he walked to Christine, who grabbed his hands and gave him a tender look. The scene felt somehow too intimate to watch and Georgiana turned away, the blush on her cheeks barely visible yet uncomfortable for her. But as she directed her eyes to something different they met Edmond's.

"Why are you here?" His voice was as cold as his eyes.

"I…heard of Papa. I'm back. I'm back for good." She stood up and started to approach him, her lips grazed by a smile that sadly did not reach her eyes. She tried to look as happy and content as possible, but every time she pushed the bad thoughts away, or at least tried it, there was a voice in her head whispering "Liar. Traitor. Whore."

"I am happy to see you well." although he did not sound like he did. He broke the eye contact and instead walked up to Adelaide and greeted her, then sat down on a chair to eat the meal. Christine and Michel took a seat as well. They had witnessed the coldness of the exchange just like Adelaide, and while everyone directed his or her attention to the now lukewarm pottage oppressiveness followed.

Poor Adelaide tried to break the silence after a while. "What did Monsieur Antoine say?"

"Well, he will establish guards every night around the area. There will also be traps and it'll be forbidden to leave one's house after sundown. He's more determined than ever to catch that creature." Michel seemed to be eager as well to escape the tense atmosphere. But after that short exchange silence laid itself over the table again. Georgiana could bare it no longer. "Excuse me, I'll go see Papa." And she quickly stood up and crossed the room to her parent's chamber. When she closed the door behind her she took a deep breath and slowly approached the still figure lying on the bed before her.

He was so pale and no smile brightened his features like it used to do. His face was full of scratches, but they were healing well. What worried her were the bandages on his arm and legs. Until now she had stuck to the idea that it was all not true. That Hugo was well and that Cináed had lied to her. But now that she saw him, saw that in fact everything had been true, reality rushed through her mind and into her limbs, leaving her weak and unable to breathe anymore. "Papa, I'm back." She could no longer stay upright and fell onto her knees.

"What has he done to you?" Hot tears escaped her eyes and blurred her vision. "Please wake up! Papa I beg you. Please, please wake up!" But he did not move, nor open his eyes. He was as still as before, and with every second that passed the lump in her throat grew bigger and bigger. "Please."

She took his uninjured hand in hers and gasped at the coldness of his skin. His pulse was so weak that it was barely even there. What could she do?

And then Georgiana prayed. While tears made it impossible to see anything and with a weak voice she sent prayers to heaven for her father. She did not care what would happen to her, as long as Hugo would be alright again. He gave her so much, more than she could ever pay him back. She needed him as much as she needed Adelaide and Christine and Edmond. "Dear God, forgive me. My father is not responsible for my sins. If you want to punish me then do so as you like, but my father has done nothing wrong. Please, I beg you. Don't take him away."

She had no idea how long she sat like that, leaning against the bed and clutching his lifeless hand in hers, but after a while she drifted into the embrace of a dreamless sleep.

b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b

The next thing she realized was that the door behind her closed and she heard steps coming towards her. A hand touched her slightly on the shoulder and something warm was spread over her body. Her head was aching enormously and her neck and limbs were stiff from her sleeping position. Not able to sleep anymore she opened her eyes and turned her head, only to see Christine sneaking out of the room. "Chrissy, what...?"

Her words were barely audible, but Christine seemed to hear her nonetheless. "I thought you might be cold. Sleep. It's still very early." And with that she closed the door behind her.

Georgiana pushed the heavy blanket her sister had brought off her shoulders and silently followed her outside. Christine was sitting alone at the kitchen table. The room was lit by a single candle on the table and when Georgiana glanced outside the windows she could see nothing but darkness. Indeed, it had to be early and she was surprised that her sister was awake at such an hour, as Christine was not someone who showed herself before ten o'clock in the morning. "Are the others still sleeping?" A nod answered her and she took the seat opposite of the blonde girl.

Silence followed and Georgiana wondered if something had happened. It was quite cold in the room, and she wished she had brought the blanket with her. She was about to go and fetch it when the voice of her sister stopped her. "You seem different."

She was completely taken aback by her sister's words. "What?"

"Well...I don't know, but something about you seems different and I'm not talking about the dress." A faint smile appeared, but it did not reach her eyes and vanished soon after.

Georgiana looked down at herself. She was wearing an exquisite gown, dark green like the firs of the forrest surrounding the area, that enhanced the colour of her hair. It was a gift from Cináed. She rememered that he had made her lots of gifts, as she had nothing to wear upon her arrival besides the one dress she had been wearing that day, all of which were of an excellent taste. She had completely forgotten that she had it still on and she blushed. The soft brocade fabric was finer than anything else inside the cottage and it made her feel somehow out of place.

"Did something happen between you and Edmond?" Christine did not sound upset or blaming, but worrying and curious.

"No Chris, please don't think that. Everything is fine between us." But she too was confused about his reaction upon seeing her again. She had expected a lot of things, but not that. She had to talk to him.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Yes I'm sure that he was only surprised to see me. You'll see, that today it will be different." _Or at least I hope so._

The girl in front of her did not seem convinced, but she did not ask further questions. "Just promise me that if there's anything you want to talk about, you'll come straight to me, okay? I'll always be there for you."

Georgiana stood up and embraced her sister. "Thank you Chrissy, but trust me. Everything is fine." And they shared a smile.

"Good, because I don't want the aunt and uncle to fight."

"Sorry, but I don't understand a word you're saying."

Instead of answering her, Christine broke out of their embrace and put her hands over her belly and gave her a bright smile. "Please don't tell Maman yet. She doesn't know and I'd like to tell her myself."

Slowly Georgiana began to understand the sense behind Christine's words. "Are...are you serious?" When Christine nodded she could not keep the squeal from escaping her lips, try as she might. She wrapped her arms around her sister again and kissed her on both cheeks. "Oh my God, I'm going to be an aunt! Since when? Does Michel know? I can't believe it!" Another squeal followed.

Christine boke out in laughter. "Quiet, or you'll wake everyone up." She said between fits of giggling.

"How can I be quiet if my sister tells me such precious information. I'm going to be an aunt!"

She had been grave too long. If that was the only opportunity to feel free and happy again then she would grasp it with both hands and Cináed would not take it away from her.


	24. Fatal Encounter

A/N: Hey, so here's the new chap and I think the title says everything. It's longer than usual :) and I've also corrected some of the grammatical faults in the earlier chapters, but not all so if you find something don't be embarassed to point it out. The next chap will follow in a couple of days. So have a nice day and please enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 24: Fatal Encounter<strong>

They talked for awhile about Christine's marriage and new life in Marseille. Indeed it was not as bad as the fair girl had thought it to be and she even had a peaceful relationship with her mother-in-law. With Michel she was even more in love than before the marriage and the baby was only to top it all. She was truly happy and that made Georgiana feel happy as well. Christine had really deserved it.

"When is Michel to leave again? You said he returned a week ago."

"Well, he's got free for another three weeks. The ship is to leave for Genua and afterwards Sicily in a month, but that's not far away. We hope that he can be here when the birth takes place, but until then there's still time."

That moment Adelaide came out of the women's chamber. She and Christine shared a room while Edmond and Michel were in Edmond's chamber.

"Oh, you're awake. Georgie, I hope you slept well. We'll have to push the two beds in the chamber into one so that the three of us have enough space. But we'll do that as soon as the boys wake up. For now let's make breakfast."

They lit the fire in the chimney and while Christine milked the cows, Georgiana cut the bread and Adelaide went to the hen house they shared with the rest of their community to bring some fresh eggs. It was strange to do all the tasks she had been familiar with for over ten years after her time in the château. Monsieur Laurent had nobody allowed to help him beside the kitchen servants and certainly not the castle's guest. Normally she had been the one to bring the milk, but her hands were shaking, although she did not know why, and Christine had offered to do it in her place.

She was home…but she felt out of place, or rather that something was missing. But she could not explain the feeling and quickly concentrated on the all of a sudden intresting task of cutting slices of bread. When that was done she went to the pantry in the back of the house and found a bowl with butter, hard as stone because of the coldness that came from the wooden walls into the room. She wondered when Adelaide had found time to make butter.

When she entered the cottage again she saw that Edmond and Michel were already in the kitchen. She gave the latter a knowing smile which was met with an even brighter one, before carefully directing her eyes to the former. Edmond would neither look, nor speak to her and she felt a pang in her heart. What had she done to offend him? He could not possibly know of her and Cináed…right?

She put the thoughts aside when Adelaide, joined by Christine, entered. Christine had obviously told her mother about the pregnancy, as Adelaide was even more attentive to the married couple than ever before, which was rather hard to achieve, as she had always been the kindest to Michel and of course Christine. Georgiana had never seen her happier, but she could tell there was a shadow over her features. It was the case with all of them and that shadow would only leave the moment Hugo would open his eyes.

Nonetheless they were happy for the two and even Edmond managed to laugh from time to time. He still refused to look in her direction, though, and she had a hard time convincing herself that there was nothing wrong.

"Ah, Adelaide, Antoine said he'd like to call afterwards to see if everything was alright. He also wants to speak to you Georgiana." Michel took a bite from his slice of bread, while Georgiana almost choked on hers. Antoine wanted to speak to her? "What?"

"We told him that you had arrived yesterday and he likes to know if you know anything about the beast. He probably thinks that you might have seen something." She could not return his encouraging smile, try as she might. She fought against the nausea, but it would not go away. He did not know that she was the one Michel had told him about, right? He did not know her name or her family. But then, was that not the actual problem? With great effort she managed to finish her breakfast.

The time until Antoine's call were spent together with Adelaide in Hugo's chamber. The woman showed her how to give Hugo water. Georgiana learned where to apply pressure on the throat in order for him to swallow. It was done carefully – one false move and he could drown, but it had to be done. The physician who had seen him, a good one provided by Antoine himself, had said that without water he would die of dehydration any way, and Georgiana had read about it in a book about medicine in Cináed's library. She really did try not to think of him, but it was impossible.

It was then, as they were bending over his form, that Georgiana saw a faint twitch in the corner of her eye. She looked again more carefully and there it was again. A twitch, that time not to be overseen. She could scream. "Adelaide, look!"

"What is it?" Both women looked to his hand, only to see it move upwards to his chest. Then his eye lids fluttered and after what seemed like ages, they both were staring into his clear blue eyes. "What is it?" His voice was weak and broke mid-sentence, but Georgiana was more than ecstatic.

"Papa! You're awake! Oh, thank God!" Hot tears fell onto the bed sheets under her head. Adelaide's reaction was not different from hers. "Hugo! Thank you dear God in heaven!"

"What…happened? Where… where am I?" His vision was still a little unfocused, but his voice was already a bit stronger. "Georg…Georgie, is it really you?"

"Yes Papa, it's me. I'm here. Oh, Papa." She clutched her mother's hand tightly while stroking away the tears with her free hand. She could not believe it. That had to be a miracle!

"I must go and fetch the others." She walked out on shaking legs, and left Adelaide alone with her husband. "Christine, Edmond, Michel! Where are you?" She shouted as soon as she had closed the door behind her.

"Why are you shouting like this? Did something happen?" Christine seemed worried.

"Yes, something did happen. A miracle. Papa…he's awake. He woke up just now. Come." She took her sister's hand and the two men who had heard her followed them into the little chamber. Adelaide was helping him drink some water, her face red and wet with tears. Georgiana imagined that she did not look any different at that moment.

"Papa!" Christine ran to the bed and fell to her knees, and Edmond was just as eager to approach his father. "Mon père!"

Only Michel stayed at the door frame, obviously feeling slightly uncomfortable, but he looked happy and relieved as well, and after Georgiana gave him an encouraging smile he too came closer.

"Chrissy, Edmond. What happened? Why are...you all like this?"

"Oh Papa, how could we not? You were unconscious for almost four days!"

"Four...days? Why?"

"Can you not remember the attack? You fought against the beast, until Edmond came and rescued you." Adelaide was stroking aside the wet curls of hair on his forehead.

"Yes, yes...I remember." He tried to sit up straight, but winched as soon¨as he moved.

"Shh, don't move. You were badly injured and have to be careful now." Christine sighted happily.

It was as Georgiana had thought – the shadow over her family's happiness was finally lifted and nothing but the brightest light was left behind. They remained in the chamber for a while, laughing and crying, until Hugo was too tired to stay awake any longer, so he soon fell asleep. As the room was too small for all of them Georgiana and the two men left, while Christine and Adelaide stayed inside.

"I can't believe it." Georgiana was breathless, her hands in praying position under her chin. She had never been overly faithful when it came to religion, but it was a part of their life and thanking God for this miracle was just as easy as breathing.

"The worst is finally over, but there will be…" Edmond was cut off mid-sentence by a knock on the entrance door. All their eyes were directed on the wooden door, until Michel opened it. A tall man, surrounded by an air of self-importance, entered the small cottage. He was wearing a wig and expensive clothing made of the finest fabrics. His nose was slightly hooked and his eyes were of an impenetrable black. Georgiana would never forget that face. Right there in front of her was Antoine.

She attempted to hide her blush by curtseying, but it was not necessary, for as soon as she met his stare she grew as pale as Hugo had been only moments ago. Seeing how understanding flowed into his eyes, it made her more than just simply nervous. She still hoped he had forgotten her face, although she knew she had already lost. He had recognised her the moment his eyes fell on her. Fighting against the shaking she put her hands behind her back.

"Monsieur, this here is my sister-in-law, Georgiana. She arrived only yesterday, as I already told you. Georgiana, this is Monsieur Antoine." Michel bowed his head, but Antoine was obviously not listening to him.

"Ah, Mademoiselle! I knew we would meet again, although I had imagined our next encounter a little different." His eyes wandered over her body as they had on their first meeting. The memory of his hand on her skin, it sent uncomfortable shivers down her spine, and she all of a sudden felt the urge to punch somebody.

"His Grace has always been an expert in surprising others, and this is indeed a great surprise." He chuckled disdainfully. "Since when do you live here, if I may be so bold as to ask?"

"Since ten years, Monsieur."

"Ten years. Yes, I really must give him credit for this. I never imagined him to surround himself with this kind of people, if you will excuse my boldness once more. He usually is known for a rather strict selection of...friends and not everyone can honour himself with his good-will."

"Of course, Monsieur." _With this kind of people?_ _What do you think you are, Scumbag?_

"I haven't seen His Grace for days. You did not happen to meet him either, I imagine?"

"No, Monsieur. I was here with my family all the time, awaiting my father's recovery." _And even if I did see him I would certainly not tell you._

"And has your father recovered?"

This time Edmond answered him. "He has awoken only moments ago, but I fear he is asleep now."

"Excellent, then I wish to speak him tomorrow." He bowed towards the men. "Messieurs." And then he walked to Georgiana and took her hand in his, placing a kiss on the back of her hand. "Mademoiselle." The stupid smile on his face and his intense stare made her feel the nausea again, as she had the first time.

When he reached the door frame, he turned and addressed her again. "You do not happen to have any clues for me concerning the creature?"

"No, Monsieur. I fear I cannot help you with that." She gulped at her lie. She did not trust the man. Did he suspect something? Finally he left and it was only when Georgiana saw him and his men riding away, that she could breathe again.

"What was that?" She turned at Christine's voice and froze again. Her sister was standing at the door frame, obviously shocked at the scene that had taken place mere seconds ago. Both she and Michel looked utterly confused, but it was Edmond's reaction that frightened her the most. His eyes were like storms , two gigantic waves of water rushing over her. For the first time that morning he looked directly at her. He was completely furious.


	25. A Life in Shatters

A/N: Hello everyone! Yep here's number 25. I'm sorry about what I've done to Edmond, but it had to be done. Yeah well, we'll see what's going to happen. Enjoy and if you have some spare time, I'd greatly appreciate a review :P

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 25: A Life in Shatters<strong>

„You've already met? When?" Christine rushed to her side. "Was it in that duke's house?"

„We met a few weeks ago." How should she explain to them that she already knew Antoine more than necessary and without telling them about Cináed? "We talked only a little before he went to meet with His Grace." Yes, that sounded well enough.

Christine eyed her skeptically. "What did you talk about? He doesn't seem like a fun sort of fellow."

"Do we know the duke? Does he participate in the chase?" Michel seemed deep in thought, obviously trying to remember who it could be. "Is it the duke of Orléans? No, eh?"

"Where does he live? Edmond, do you know the man?"

Edmond had remained silent until that point, his angry stare holding her in place. She silently begged him not to say anything. But why was he so angry? Did he knew something? Probably, as he was the one who knew where she had really been all this time.

He suddenly turned and left the house, leaving a confused Christine and Michel and a shivering Georgiana behind. What should she do? Follow him? Stay? They had to talk eventually and so she decided to do the former.

"Edmond!" The cold wind made her wince as soon as she stepped out of the house. "Edmond!" She shouted his name another time, but he would not answer. As all the snow had melted away she could not follow him by his footprints. She walked around the house and then made her way to the stables. That was where she found him.

He was sitting on a wooden box, playing with something small in his hands. She suddenly was hit by the difference between him and Cináed.

Edmond was not quite as tall, but because of the hard labour on the fields his arms were very muscular, his skin tanned even at this time of the year. His eyes were as blue as the ocean in the many paintings she had seen in Cináed's old study and his blond hair was short and straight. His angel-like face, the one she always had admired for its brightness and softness, had become an open book to her. He could not hide his emotions from her. With his twenty-one years he reminded her still of the boy she had grown up with.

Cináed on the other hand…he was certainly taller. His figure was perhaps not as bold, but he was well-shaped with smooth yet defined muscles. His long slender fingers were the ones of a pianist, and every one of his movement's was like the steps of a dance, with their elegance and obvious gentility. He was noble, but while others like Antoine appeared shabby while trying to be something better, he exuded true superiority. His skin was as white as snow, reminding her of the marble sculptures she had seen on display in his house and contrasting with his dark curly hair. Everything about him reminded her of the predator behind the mask, especially his eyes. She had read in a book that mercury was highly toxic and she knew that to be right. Looking into his dark orbs had left her every time unable to breathe. She had learned to read the expression in them, but only to a certain point. Never could she be sure what he was really thinking.

They were like black and white, night and day. She felt a pang in her chest at the thought. "Edmond." She slowly approached him.

He did not look up at her and continued to stare on the ground. When he sighted he still sounded angry, although she could also hear exhaustion in his voice. "When you exchanged yourself for me that night so I could go home, I felt so guilty." He pressed his index finger and thumb against the base of his nose. "As soon as I recovered I wanted to come, to rescue you. I thought you were in danger. I thought you'd be happy to return home with me." Then he lifted his head and the look in his eyes burned with furry. "Are you his mistress?"

She gasped. "What? No! Whom are you talking about?" What did he mean by this question? "Antoine? How can you think that?" Her eyes widened in disbelief. He knew her too well to asume anything like that.

"No, I'm not referring to Antoine!" He turned towards her. "I mean the creature that attacked me. I mean the beast in whose house you have lived. I mean the bloody monster that almost killed our father! Are you his whore?"

He was boiling with furry, but she did not know why. What had she done? She had not talked about the whole affair. No one besides them knew what had really happened three months ago, when she had exchanged her freedom for his. But why was he then behaving like this?

"Do you actually listen to what you're saying?" She shook her head, her racing heart beat clearly audible to her. She tried to speak with a calmer voice. "I'm nobody's whore." Why was he saying that? The whole scene felt strangely familiar and she decided she should always hate the mere word déjà-vu.

He was breathing hard. "Don't lie to me! Don't you dare lie to me! I've seen the way you two looked at each other." He began to pace around the stable hallway.

"What are you talking about?" He had seen them? When? Where?

"A few days after Antoine arrived. It's no secret that he came to the château. I saw how you two were standing outside in the darkness. I wanted to come forward, I thought he was forcing you to stay there in the cold with him, but them he stood up and touched you. And you did not push him away. Tell me, am I lying?"

She knew exactly when he had seen them – the night she had talked with Cináed about his title and about Antoine. The night when he had pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, barely touching her skin. The night she had turned her head away from him and cried alone in the darkness because of Edmond. He had been there. He had seen them interact and jumped to his own conclusions.

"Edmond, that was nothing. Really, nothing happened. And he didn't force me. Believe me, if you knew him..."

"Am I lying? Is that what you want to imply, whore?"

"I am not his whore! Stop calling me that!"

"What are you then? Have you developed feelings for the bastard?" He laughed and it caused goose bumps to appear on her arms. It was as cold as the winter air surrounding them. " You have given yourself to a monster, willently. He's not even human! Was it his wealth or his status, maybe both?"

"What?"

"You don't expect me to believe that you didn't see anything in all this time? I know that he showed you. He's not human, Georgiana. I don't know what he is, but he's not human, not normal. A freak, a monstrosity! A creature send from hell! How could you give youself to something like that?"

"Why do you do that?" She fought against the tears. She would not cry now. "You don't even know him!"

"I know that he's a killer without scruples, that's more then enough!" He looked at her, his eyes piercing into her soul.

"What has he done to you Georgiana? What has he done for you to defend him? You were the woman I loved, the woman I wanted to marry, to build a life with!" He suddenly sounded as frustrated as her.

"I still am that woman! Nothing has changed! Nothing at all." What was happening? It felt so unreal. Her voice was hoarse from yelling in the coldness. She could barely even whisper. "I did not give myself to him."

"Tell me once and for all, do you love him?"

"I…"

"Do you love him?"

She stared back at him. She wished she could answer him, tell him that no, she loved none but him, her beloved Edmond. She wanted to tell him that it was all a lie and that she did not love Cináed. She could never love a monster, a killer, a beast. Yes, she knew everything Edmond had said and more. He was nothing but a horrible monster, a creature without fellings. She wanted it so badly, but her mouth would not open, because she knew that she could not lie to him anymore, and suddenly she knew that it would be a lie.

How could she tell him of her love, if she still felt Cináed's lips on hers, Cináed's fingers on her skin, Cináed's scent and voice and eyes? The way he had played the piano with such emotion, such passion, the way his face had lit up every time he had given her one of his smiles, the hours they had spent together reading and discussing?

She had never tasted Edmond's lips, they had never in all that time shared one single kiss. Always she had turned her head away or would indicate at something imaginary in the distance. Not one kiss, and now she knew why - she had never _wanted_ to kiss him. She had never really felt that way about him, but with Cináed...

Her lips would not move and in that moment she realized she had destroyed every chance of ever returning to her former life.

The emotions washed over his features, one after the other – understanding, confusion, frustration, exhaustion, anger.

Neither of them dared to move, their breaths visible in the cold air inside the stables. With a sudden motion he turned and threw something at the wall, the sound of wood clashing making her flinch. Then he spat on the floor and left.

She could no longer stand upright. Her whole body was shaking enormously. It felt like somebody had rammed a stake through her heart. She could not breathe.

The tears would not stop, ruining her expensive gown. She laughed, or rather choked at her own sense of irony. Gallows humour, she thought with a sour taste on her tongue. She would change later into one of her own. She rubbed with her palm over her face, and her eyes focused on something small underneath the spot where he had thrown something at the wall. She crawled, as her legs were still to weak. There, lying on the damp ground was the tiny wooden heart.

It hit her like a lightning – it would never be as it used to. She had lost everything in a matter of seconds. A happy, quiet, uncomplicated life - the chance was gone and would never come back.

"Why has everything to be so complicated?" What had happened to her peaceful, normal life at the farm? The change was grotesque.

As she was crouching there on the floor, shaking and rocking herself forth and back in an attempt to keep further tears from rolling down her cheeks, she wished for the first time that Cináed would be there.


	26. Regret Or No Regret?

A/N: Hi, I'm sorry for the small delay, but here's the new chap. So this one hopefully explains some things that happened earlier. Don't be mad at Edmond (although I'm mad at him now myself (. ) But any way, he's not a bad guy, just a jealous one. Okayyy, so enjoy!

Oh and thanks to MyahLyah for informing about the mistake in the last chapter :)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 26: Regret Or No Regret?<strong>

What had she done? How could she face Edmond again? How could she look Christine or Adelaide or Hugo in the eye? She had rejected him, but did she even have the right to do that?

This family raised her for ten years, saved her from a life in the cold streets of Marseille. What gave her the right to be so ungrateful? She could imagine how different her life would be, had Hugo never found her. A young girl without a family or money – she would probably have ended in one of the cities brothels. But was she not a whore any way? Both Cináed and Edmond had called her one.

And what did she expect? Cináed to come and confess his love for her on his knees in front of the cottage's entrance? How realistic! What was she to him? What was _he_ to _her_? He did not see her as anything but a poor peasant's daughter.

She gulped. He was a duke with a great estate and who knew what else he owned. He had told her about exotic and strange countries on continents far away. He had seen so much in his long life, he knew so many things about the world, while she…She was nothing, a nobody! Who was she compared to the women he had had in his life? Beautiful ladies of noble birth, accomplished and pure. Of rich families from all around the world.

She was only a farmer's daughter, she had no talents or accomplishments and she was no beauty. With her temper she might have captured his interest at first, but it was not enough.

She had thought…Every time he had looked at her with a certain expression, every time he had with the tips of his fingers delicately touched her skin…had it been only a game? Had she been only a toy to him, something to pass time? He had made her gifts, but what was money to him? He had more than enough.

So, she had betrayed Edmond for nothing, because her imagination had fooled her into believing something she knew was not right. She had done it and could not turn back anymore. It was useless to hope.

The sound of steps behind her reached her ear and brought her back to reality. She turned and saw the figure of a little girl, standing at the entrance of the stables.

"Mademoiselle, mademoiselle!" Marie ran towards her. "You're back!"

Georgiana quickly stroked the tears away and stood up. Her skirts were dirty and damp and she was shivering because of the cold.

"Bonjour Marie. Yes, I'm back." Even she could hear the exhaustion in her voice, but the little girl did not seem to notice. "Come let's play something, shall we? But before that I must change." And she took her tiny hand, leading Marie out of the stables. In her other hand was the little wooden heart.

b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b

During the next couple of days Edmond refused to stay with her in the same room. Whenever Georgiana entered he would stand up and leave without a comment. She could not blame him. Everybody sensed the tension in the air, but no one would ask aloud. She knew it was just a matter of time.

Hugo was the only one not aware of any change between his two children. His condition did not allow him to leave his bed and as it was the women's duty to care for him, he never witnessed Edmond's strange behaviour towards Georgiana. But even he knew that something was not right with his youngest daughter.

Georgiana tried to spend as much time as possible with him. She wanted to make up for all the time she had been absent, for all the things she had done, although she knew it was impossible. It was all her fault. She had sinned. She was only grateful that Hugo had finally woken up. He would survive and that should be enough, but he had had to pay for her mistakes and she felt the guilt. Like a knife it bore into her heart every time she saw him.

b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b

What had he done? Her horrified expression still haunted him. Like a ghost it sneaked into his mind every time he tried not to think of her. He knew it was wrong, but he was grateful for that. That way he would always remember her face, but at the same time it would keep him away from her. He would leave her in peace. He had brought her too much pain already.

He had wanted her to leave, to go to her family. He had felt her discomfort. She always had resented him for what he had done, so what had changed now?

The night he had attacked the old man, he had realized his mistake almost immediately, as soon as he had calmed down. When this fool Edmond had appeared, there had been no space left for any doubt. He idiot had even turned back, he had wanted to talk. What a fool! That way he had gotten injured in the first place!

He had seen the other man's knife too late and the next moment he had felt the sharp pain coming from his shoulder. They fought. Even with the wound he had still been stronger than a normal human. In less than two minutes he had his hands tightly wrapped over the young man's throat, applying more and more pressure. He had already killed a man a few days before. Another death would not harm him much. But then that scum had to open his mouth.

"Do you really want to kill me? Georgiana will never forgive you!" That had made him pause. He had stared into the other man's eyes. When he eventually had replied his voice had been as calm as if he would have the weather.

"What makes you think I would care what your lover thinks of me? She's a peasant's child." He had laughed.

Edmond had not seemed to find it funny. "I know that you don't think of her as _my_ lover. Do you believe she could ever love you, a beast sent from hell? She's too pure for you!"

He had loosened his tight grip around the guy's neck and Edmond had fallen onto his knees gasping. "She loves _me_! She loves her family! Kill me if you like! You'll see what'll happen. She's too good for you!"

"Says the scumbag who's let her exchange herself for him." He had chuckled, but his muscles had grown tense. "Look, I'm probably not the right one to talk about your eternal love so let's finish this."

"Why, so you can return to her? I'm not going to allow that!"

And they had exchanged more punches until dog barks had been heard. He had turned into the black wolf, and raced through the dark forest to a near river. The water had blurred his scent, confusing the dogs and making it impossible for the hunters to follow him.

But the young man's words had haunted him since. This Edmond was right. Who was he? What could he offer her? Diamonds and gold? He knew she had no interest in material luxuries.

He was a monster, a beast that killed people. He was not even human, that part of him had died many years ago. What irony, that she seemed to posses the ability of eliciting exactly this part. He had felt human in her presence. He had felt happy and free. She had been somebody he could trust. In the thousand years of his existence he had trusted only two persons completely – one of them had to die because of him, the other one had called him a monster.

So he had wanted her to leave, to return to the people she loved. And he had wanted her to be angry, to hate and resent him for the rest of her life. Hatred was a powerful emotion and if it was the only way she would feel something towards him he would not refuse it. It was the only way she would forget him.

But while he had lied to her in order to bring her to leave, he had been completely unprepared for the impact her anger would have towards him. Her eyes had burned like fire in the candle light, matching the colour of her silky curls perfectly and. Her cheeks had been flushed in a delicate pink and her full lips red like blood. She had been breathing hard, causing her bosom to rise and fall and the vision had brought him goose bumps. It hit him like a stroke. She was like a goddess, the incarnation of Aphrodite herself.

He had not planned to kiss her but in that moment it had been impossible to draw away from her. Her moan had been music to his ears and he had burned in her passion.

It had been a mistake, he knew that now. He wondered how he ever could have been so weak.

He had acted like a mindless idiot. Like a lovestruck puppy. He had used her, but he could not feel sorry for it, but he would never approach her again. It was for her. She deserved to be happy.

He shook his head. It was useless to think that she could ever feel anything but hate for him. It was useless to hope.


	27. She Could Not Do It

A/N: Hey thanks for the kind reviews :). Yeah so the action goes on and because I know that you miss Cin as much as I do I won't keep him away any longer ;). Tell me if you think this chap is too fast paced. I just wanted to get it into three pages and move on to the next one, but I could write it longer if you like. Yeah so please enjoy and have a nice day ^_^!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 27: She Could Not Do It<strong>

"Right, now could you please give me that pin over there? Thanks."

Georgiana was in Hugo's room together with Christine. The two girls were carefully changing the bandages on his arms. It was the fifth day since he had woken up from his comatose state, and his weak muscles and the still hurting wounds and stitches all over his body made it impossible for him to stand up.

"Sorry for the circumstances." He winced and closed his eyes. The sight made Georgiana gulp.

"Don't be, Papa. We're happy that the worst is overcome."

"We love you."

"Ah, my daughters. Where would I be without you?" He raised his uninjured hand and stroked over each girls hair and they both bent down to place kisses on his cheek.

"So, were finished, Papa. You can rest now." Christine took her sisters hand and they stood up. Before they had reached the door Hugo's voice made them turn.

"Georgiana."

"Yes, Papa?"

He just looked at her, the expression in his eyes unreadable, but when he eventually replied it seemed as if the shadow had vanished from his face. "Nothing. Enjoy the good weather." He smiled at them and then closed his eyes.

Christine led her sister out and Georgiana closed the door behind them. Did he sense something? What about the others? But her second question was soon answered, for the moment they were in their room Christine closed the door and shoved her onto her bed, then sinking into her own one. "Okay, what's going on?"

"What?"

"Oh, don't try to fool me! I know you and I know Edmond and I know something is not right between you two. It's not hard to sense, really. Even a blind person would notice the tension."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She tried to sound as calm as ever. But Christine seemed not convinced.

"Has he done something to you?"

"Of, course not."

"Then what is it?" She grasped Georgiana's hand. "You promised to tell me if something was bothering you. I told you once before that you seem different and nothing has changed since then. What is going on?"

Georgiana felt her throat tighten. Should she or should she not? No, she could never tell her. Christine was her best friend, but she was Edmond's sister through blood at the same time. It was no question whose side she would take in the affair.

When she did not get an answer the fair girl stood up and reached for the door knob. "Do you not trust me anymore? You used to tell me everything."

No, it was useless to hide. Christine deserved to know. "Please, don't go."

"Then tell me what happened between the two of you."

"I can't."

"Why?"

"You wouldn't understand." She had already lost Edmond. She would not loose Christine too. "You'll resent me for the rest of our lives."

"I could never resent you. You're my friend, my sister. I love you too much for that." And she gave her hand a squeeze. But it failed to comfort Georgiana.

"I…" What should she do? She felt slightly dizzy. "We had a fight, Edmond and I."

"Yes, I already guessed that much, but why?" She asked with an eager voice. "Was it about that Antoine?"

"No not really." The dizziness grew worse and worse. She could not do it. "Look, can we talk about it later? Maman surely needs our help right now." She attempted to stand up, but the other girl held her back.

"No, we can't. I won't let you leave until you have told me what exactly happened." Christine looked now greatly annoyed. "Really, what can be so bad that you won't overcome it after almost a week? You had fights before, every couple does from time to time. It's only normal."

"That's the problem – we won't overcome it this time. I've caused him too much pain."

"What are you talking about?"

"I…I'm sorry. I can't." _I'm no longer in love with your brother and I kissed somebody else a few days ago and I liked it. Oh, and this somebody is actually the beast every one is looking for._ _And it's the same guy who almost took our father's life. _Yes, that did sound highly plausible.

"Oh, come on! Stop being so melodramatic. What is it that you can't tell me?" Christine shook her shoulders lightly but determined.

Georgiana felt stupid. She wanted to gain time, but her attempts were pathetic, more than pathetic. She took a deep breath and began. "Fine. I'll tell you."

She was just about to start when they heard a banging coming from the entrance door and a female name shouting Georgiana's name. Both girls stared at each other confused and the younger one stood up and left the room. Who could that be? Had something happened to Adelaide or Michel? Was Edmond alright? After crossing the kitchen Georgiana reached for the door knob. The moment she pulled the door open a disheveled looking Isabeau fell into her arms, hugging her with all her strength.

She needed a moment before she could speak again. "Isabeau, what are you doing here? How did you even find me?" She could not breathe and was grateful when the other girls loosened her grip. _She seems agitated._ Her cheeks were flushed and she was breathing hard.

"Oh, that was not hard. Everyone here seems to know you. But oh, we have no time to talk! You must come with me this second." She took Georgiana's hand.

"Wait, what are you doing? I can't leave."

"But you must! You must help us, we shall be lost if you won't!" She pulled, but Georgiana held her back, utterly confused at the girl's words. What had happened?

"What are you talking about?" Suddenly a bad thought went through her mind. "Is somebody hurt? Are Stefanie and Clarice well? What about the others?" She did not dare ask about Cináed.

"No, they're all fine. It's the master! You must come!" Again she pulled.

"What?" What had happened to him? Was he hurt? She could only guess how horrified she must look at that instant. But he had Clarice. Clarice could help him. Why did they need her? He surely would not need her help.

"Antoine and some of his men came to the château. First we just thought that he wanted to talk to the master. I fear they think the master is the beast and now they want to kill him! Please come with me! You must tell them the truth! You're the best witness we have!"

The words slowly made their way through her mind, making no sense at first. But then she began to understand. He was in danger. They had found out. But…how?

"Why would they think your master is a beast?"

"Because I told them." A cold voice said from behind them. The three of them turned, only to see Edmond staring at Isabeau with angry eyes. "You can tell your master to leave us alone."

"Edmond?." Georgiana on the other hand was staring at him unbelievingly. "That can't be true." No, he would never do that.

He only hissed. "Why not? This bastard doesn't deserve it better!"

"Edmond, what is going on here?"

"Oh shut up Christine! This doesn't concern you." His eyes were fixed on Georgiana. "I've only done what had to be done. A monster does not deserve to live."

"No. No!" Her head was spinning and she froze.

"This isn't you! You would never do such a thing!" She approached him with wide eyes, still not believing what she was hearing. His voice was like the blade of a knife cutting through her skin.

"I've lied too long for that scumbag! It was only fair! He almost killed my father! He used the woman I love! Can you blame me for taking revenge?" He chuckled lightly. "I wonder how long it will take until his corpse is being dragged through the streets of Versailles."

She could not breathe. What was he saying? "Stop! Please stop! Tell me it's not true!"

He looked at her with cold eyes. "I'm not a liar."

She pushed away Isabeau's hand and slapped him on the cheek as hard as possible, then she ran to the stables to saddle her horse, but Isabeau followed her and held her back. "Georgiana, you can take my horse." She smiled at her with a faint smile.

She hugged her friend. Isabeau was unaware of the truth. She had no idea that her master was guilty. "Thank you Isabeau."

As she raced through the crisp January air, breathing as hard as the horse and with hot tears blurring her vision, only one thought ran through her mind – _I can't be too late!_


	28. In the Dungeons

A/N: Hey! Well as a thank you to my readers I made this chap extra long! It just felt stupid to cut it somewhere earlier so...here's what you get :). And Cináed is finally back again. Hope you like this one and wish you all a very nice day.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 28: In the Dungeons<strong>

Cold, darkness…was she dead? If so then when had she died? Everything was pitch-black. She could hear murmurs coming from a distance, but she could not understand a word. She tried to open her eyes, but failed. Her eye lids were too heavy. So she was dead? But nobody had told her that you can still feel pain after you've died. And she did feel a throbbing in her head.

Again she tried to open her eyes, and again she failed. The voices returned, spinning through her head in a higher volume. She could hear people talking, probably men. Was she alive after all? Judging after the pain in her head she probably was.

"Hey sleeping beauty! Wake up." A harsh voice spoke into her ear. All of a sudden her eyes opened wide and she saw where she was. She was lying on the floor. Her arms were tied behind her back and her clothes were dirty. It seemed she was in a dungeon or a large cellar, but where exactly she did not know.

Around her she saw three men, one of whom she knew from sight. He was a craftsman in a near village, and the other two seemed to be of equal standing, judging by their eroded, worn down clothing. She wanted to speak, to ask them where they were, but the moment she realized how dry and sore her throat actually was. So she closed her lips again and continued to look around.

"Ah, bonsoir mademoiselle. Finally awoken, aren't we." She froze…and turned around. Behind her was a very fine looking table – too fine for a dungeon – and no other than Antoine himself just sat down on the chair before it. He smiled at her, his eyes bearing something unreadable, but she was certain that it was not kind. Her voice was raspy but she managed to speak.

"Monsieur Antoine. What is the reason for this?" Carefully she sat up. It was not easy with her hands on her back. "I wish to know where we are."

"Oh, you don't know? Well I posses the knowledge of you having been down here once before, a few months ago. Do you remember?" He bent down and caressed her cheek with cold bony fingers.

She stared at him. They were in Cináed's château! But where was he? And how had she come here? "How…"

"Have you not heard about the curfew? It is a little late for a young girl to ride out in the woods." His eyes darkened. "Why were you in such a hurry? Were you looking for somebody? Perhaps we can help you in your search." Then he looked to his men and nodded. She was confused. What was going on, what was he talking about? She did not understand a word until…

After a few minutes the door to the room opened and a group of five or six men entered, arranged in a circle so she could not see the one in the center. When they opened the circle she felt her blood being drained out of her face – each of the men was holding a rope that either held his hands or was wrapped around his throat. He was standing on his own, but she was surprised he could stand at all. He looked unnaturally thin and his now dirty locks were disheveled. No shirt covered his upper body and arms and so she had perfect vision to the deep cuts and… _was that burned flesh on his right arm? _His whole body was covered in crimson liquid, most of it already dry, but there were enough spots that looked fresh. His chest was rising and falling rapidly – he obviously had problems with breathing too. She understood why when she saw the almost black bruises on his neck. But despite all this he stood upright, his eyes focused on the floor. Nothing in his features conveyed pain or fear. He seemed as if nothing had happened to him at all. Her heart skipped a few beats and she almost choked.

"Cináed!." Her voice was barely more than a whisper, but loud enough for Antoine to hear.

"Is that your real name? Mais Monsieur, why keeping your own name a secret? It is very rude to lie to a friend, n'est-ce pas?" He laughed in an icy tone, but Cináed did not answer, nor did he look up. Antoine did not seem to be vexed by it. "But mon ami! You can trust me. We are friends aren't we?"

Again no answer followed. This time Antoine stayed not so calm. "When His Majesty hears of it…"

"The king has more important things to do than listen to your ghost stories. Why would he believe you this time? Gévaudan was catastrophic, but now you have to blame me for the crimes of an animal? Really?" Cináed's voice was surprisingly steady, though he had to make breathing breaks. "What makes you think that I'm a dog?" The irony made his eyes sparkle dangerously.

Antoine did not seem to like the joke though. "A dog? This is no joke! I have a witness who said you have tortured him and attacked his father. As a wolf! What do you have to say to that?"

He chuckled. With his blood-covered face it looked grotesque. "How can a man transform himself into a wolf? Excusez-moi, but I don't believe in these folk tales. Are you not a bit too old for that, Antoine?"

"Silence! I have enough proof of your guilt."

"Such as?"

"Witnesses saw a black wolf-like creature in the forests. Then we have the man who was attacked by that beast and his son, both recalling a large black wolf. And my dogs have the best noses in the country. They find everything." He slowly approached Cináed. "The same evidence, the same process. Just like in Gévaudan. Tell me, have you not lived there a few years ago? The king gave you an estate there, did he not? What a coincidence."

"Has the little boy learned to put one and one together? But that still doesn't keep him from speaking bullshit."

Georgiana did not see the punch coming and when she heard the sound she winced. Tightly she pressed her eyes close. He did not move away and Antoine's fist struck his face with a heavy blow. Cináed fell down to the ground, more fresh blood ran down his face. He choked, but after some struggling managed to stand up again. She could not keep the whimper from escaping her lips. Then he spat on the ground, even his saliva was of a dark red, and looked Antoine straight in the eye. He looked mad!

"Is that all, _mon ami_?" God God, he really was mad!

Antoine only smiled – the incarnation of Satan himself. "Oh, but you forget that we have a guest. We are terrible hosts." And then he turned towards Georgiana. With a smooth motion, as if she would not weight more than a feather, he lifted her up to her feet. His one hand kept her arms on her back while the other held her cheek in a tight grip. She felt the familiar nausea return, only now it was mixed with furry. He turned her head in an awkward angle towards his and her neck grew stiff from the position.

"How wonderful that the three of us are here together! We'll enjoy this evening greatly, won't we ma cherie?" He bent down and placed a kiss on her left cheek. She struggled with the chains, but his tight grip made any movement impossible.

She tried to make eye contact with Cináed, her eyes full of fear, and she begged him silently to be careful. But he did not look at her. His eyes were fixed on the spots where Antoine's hands were touching her. His eyes were burning like fire. But the rest of his face was cold as stone. One of his mouth corners was even turned upwards.

"Oh, you have dirty thoughts. What do you want to do with the girl?" He laughed slightly.

"I don't think she's just a girl to you." Antoine slowly moved behind her. "I believe _woman _is more adequate." And as if to give his words emphasis he kissed the curve of her nape, provoking goose bumps to appear on her arms. The feeling of disgust spread all over her skin and mind. How dare he? But she still could not move away. She was trapped in his grip!

Cináed's smile had vanished, his eyes still bearing the same burning flames of silver and mercury. His voice had lost its light tone.

"What do you want?"

"I wonder if she knows. She does, doesn't she? Is she your accomplice?" He laughed. "Every wolf needs a mate."

"What do you _want_?"

"You're not exactly very helpful, but I wonder if you will sing for us after some consideration." He nodded at his men and one of them placed a dagger into his outstretched hand. He then led the dagger to the bottom of Georgiana's throat, the blade stroking over the delicate skin, too lightly to pierce it. "Or if she will."

What was he doing? "Monsieur, please!" She struggled again, but he applied more pressure and the blade grazed her neck, leaving a stinging pain behind. She trembled. He would not… "Please."

"Oh do you hear her? What a lovely voice you have." His laugh was as cold as ice. He was undoubtedly mad. "Are you his accomplice?"

"Monsieur, consider what you're doing…"

"Are you his accomplice?" The blade went lower and in a fast motion ripped of her right sleeve. She gasped and her eyes widened.

"Have you helped him kill all these people? Have you assisted this demon in his crimes?"

"I…have no idea what you are talking about."

"Well, I think you do." And with a second motion he cut through the delicate skin on the inside of her elbow. The pain was sharp and she screamed in shock. Blood was rapidly coming out of the wound, running down her arm and onto her gown.

Her eyes searched Cináed's and she saw the anger boiling inside of him. Both their hands were trembling – hers of fright and pain, his out of pure fury.

Antoine spoke again with a voice as sweet as sugar. "And, have you thought about your answer this time?" The dagger went lower, until it was above her right thigh. Only the fabric of her thin gown was there to protect her.

"Are you the beast's accomplice?" His face bent down towards hers.

"I can see but one beast in here and it is certainly not him!" She spat into his face. His faint smile vanished and his cheeks became dark red.

"You…" He attempted to slap her in the face, the dagger still in his hand, but before he could hurt her, hands stopped his mid-air.

Cináed suddenly held him with his hands still in chains, and his voice was dangerously calm. "Try to do that and I swear I'll kill you." How had he freed himself from the men holding the ropes?

"Why, she's just a girl after all." Antoine's voice was filled with sarcasm.

"Leave her alone."

"Or what? Will you fight against all of us? Only a beast would be able to do that, but you're not one, remember?" He chuckled.

"I said leave her alone." The words were barely audible over the dark growl coming from his chest.

"Actually this is too much fun." And as if to give his words emphasis he rammed the dagger into her thigh…or at least he wanted to do that, because at that moment Cináed pushed him aside and everything was covered in white light. Georgiana fell onto the ground.

Her arm was still bleeding and the pain made her slightly dizzy. She screamed when she saw that the black wolf and Antoine were fighting a few meters before her on the ground. She saw fresh blood and screeched, but then relief ran through her veins when she saw that it wasonly Antoine missing a finger.

The other men stood around the scene until they reacted and went to their master's help. Cináed was big and strong for a wolf, but now he was weakened by the torture they had inflicted on him earlier. She screamed again. He had no chance against all of them!

Two men lay unconscious on the floor, and Cináed had bitten off the hand of another one. Two others had fled the room. But Anoine was still there, punching and kicking at him in a wild manner. Both rolled over the ground.

Then finally Antoine fell onto his back, with Cináed bending over him. He looked at him, showing his bare teeth in what resembled a cruel smile. Then his fangs went down…

Antoine quickly reached out to the dagger lying next to him on the floor. She had not seen this thing! _Why did I not see the stupid dagger?_ She stared motionless as the shining blade disappeared into black fur. Then she heard a yelp.

It seemed as if someone behind her shot Antoine into the head a second later, but she did not notice. Neither did she hear. All she could do was staring at the black wolf trembling terribly and stumbling backwards.

It was as if she was dead – no sound sank into her. As if she was inside a bag or a glass box. The only thing she heard was her breaths, sounding unnaturally loud to her.

She stood up on trembling legs, but somebody held her arm back. She did not turn to look at the person, but instead continued to walk towards a blood covered Cináed. When she was just in front of him she could no longer stand and sank onto her knees.

His breathing came falteringly, sweat mixed with dried blood on his forehead. He was struggling to sit up, sinking onto his back again and again. On his chest was a gaping…hole. When she directed her gaze to it, pain ran like fire though her veins and she immediately focused on is face again.

"You…you idiot. Why did you do that?" Her voice broke. He looked into her eyes. Slowly he brought up a shaking hand and cupped her cheek. She bent down at the same moment and pressed her forehead against his.

"I…I'm sorry." He sounded so…so broken. She had never heard him like this. She felt the guilt him her grow bigger and bigger.

"No, everything is my fault. It's my fault that they came, that Antoine heard…Oh, Cináed." Something warm and wet fell onto her hand and she looked down – tears. Why was she crying? There was no need to cry. Everything would be alright. It had to be!

"Don't talk. Keep your strength. I…I'll call for Clarice."

"Don't."

"No, you'll see. She'll help you in no time." She sounded like a mad-woman. She did not care. All she needed was help, now!

"I'm sorry." His voice was only a faint whisper. His eyes, still so beautiful, were half closed. He whimpered again.

The sound felt like daggers cutting through her heart. "Please! Don't close your eyes! Clarice! Clarice, help!" But it was too late. He stroked over her cheek one last time, then his eyes closed.

* * *

><p>AN: Haha, evil cliffhanger ^_^. So ladies and gentlemen, you have the opportunity to choose how the story will continue: Do you want him to die or to survive even though it's barely possible? I already started the next chap, but I could change some things. Please leave me a comment and tell me what you think =).


	29. Patience

A/N: Hi everyone! Did you like the last one? You did not really think that I would let him die off just like that, did you? No, I need more suspence :). The next chap will be the last one, so I hope you like this one. I don't want to finish this story too fast, but I'll update soon so that you don't have to wait too long. Please enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 29: Patience<strong>

"No, Cináed, please. Wake up! Everything's going to be fine! Wake up, I beg you, please wake up!" With trembling fingers and a blurred vision, she touched his cheek, shook him slightly on the shoulder. His eyes would not open. Why would they not open?

"Georgiana, please." Someone embraced her from behind, trying to push her away from Cináed. She knew the voice – it was Edmond's – but she could not care less. With every try to bring her away, she clung more and more onto the motionless body in front of her. When he lifted her up she screamed.

"No! No! Let me go! Cináed!" She kicked and screamed, but he was too strong. With both arms he held her tightly in his embrace. The gun he had shot Antoine with was lying on the ground.

"Shhhh, Georgiana. It's okay."

"No! No! Cináed, please! Please don't leave me! No!" Her throat closed and she could not breathe anymore. As if hands strangulated her, cold and hard hands. "No."

"He's dead, Georgie." He whispered into her ear, but she would not listen. His lie burned in her mind. It was a lie. It had to be one. He was alive. Cináed was alive!

"What happened?" A scream came from the door, and seconds later Clarice was bending over his lifeless body. She checked for his pulse, examined the wound. With every second that passed she grew paler and paler. "What happened?" Vincent too entered soon after her, apparently too shocked to speak.

Georgiana tried to explain, but her mouth would not open. She could not explain it with words. Edmond still had his arms wrapped around her shaking body.

Then Clarice's features changed. From one moment to the other she seemed determined, although Georgiana clearly saw the horror in her eyes. Quickly the old woman came to her and whispered in a hurried voice. "Georgiana, he's…he's still alive, but not for long if I…I know something. He might survive, but it must happen now and I need your help."

Georgiana choked. "What can I do?"

"First we have to bring him to his chamber. Could you and your friend do that, while I go fetch the needed supplies? Vincent, help them! Hurry! We have no time to loose." And she left the room almost running. Georgiana turned towards Edmond. "Please."

"If you think that I will…"

"Please." Her voice broke. Her throat was sore and tight from the tears that still rolled down her cheeks. He stared into her eyes, seconds, minutes. Then he finally nodded and let her go. Together with the still speechless Vincent he lifted the blood-covered figure up and so they all carefully hurried out of the dungeons and upstairs. Georgiana was walking beside them, Cináed's hand clasped in hers. Its coldness scared her.

Finally they reached his doors and she went forth to open them for the men. The sight that met her eyes was familiar and strange at the same time. On the floor there were notepapers and broken pieces of wood spread. But that time she also saw traces of claws and fangs on the remaining furniture. What had happened while she had been away?

She showed them where his bed was and they carefully laid him down. He looked so…young, so vulnerable.

Right then Clarice stormed in, several bottles and handkerchiefs in her hands. She placed everything on the bottom of the bed and sent the two men out. "Go, this is no place for you now. Vincent, look after Antoine's corpse. I the rest of the hunters find out…" Both went to the door, but Edmond remained a while at the door frame. She could feel his stare on her back, but she paid no attention to him. She instead took the wet handkerchief that Clarice offered her and carefully stroked over his face. As she cleaned his face and arms from blood and dirt she saw the actual effect of their torture. Together with all the blood it had been horrible enough, but now that she actually saw the cuts and burns before her it was completely different.

_What have they done to you?_

Meanwhile Clarice was doing something at the large gash on his chest. Georgiana did not dare to direct her eyes even near to it, but when Clarice spoke she looked up.

"Look, I cannot guarantee for anything. He may die after all, but…It's the only chance we've got. I…I need some of your blood."

"What?"

"If you don't want to do this I can understand. I won't…"

"No, please. I was merely surprised." She stared at the elderly woman. "Do go on."

"I need human blood so I can't take my own. Just a little. I'll mix it with the potion in the green bottle and give it to him to drink. Again, you don't have to…"

Georgiana just stretched her arm out. She had one cut. Another one would not kill her. With determination she looked into the witch's eyes. "Do you have a knife?"

Clarice nodded and took a small knife out of a leather sheath. She then placed the green bottle under Georgiana's arm. With slightly trembling fingers she led the blade to the still half open cut on the girl's arm. Again pain rushed through Georgiana's veins and she hissed under her breath. The blood began to flow once again and like a tiny stream it ran drop for drop into the bottle. The cut was not deep, and as soon as the blood-flow stopped Clarice took it and immediately led it to Cináed's lips. Georgiana held his head up, and she applied pressure on his throat as she had done with Hugo a few days ago.

When the bottle was empty Clarice stood up, sighting exhausted. Georgiana looked into his face. He really did look like a corpse. "Are you sure he's still alive?"

"Oh yes, but I'm not sure if this is going to help him."

"How can you not be sure? Your potions always work."

"Well yes, but only for humans. He's only half human and there are the wolf and the demon in him too. This potion, it is only made for humans, and I have no idea if it will work, now that the human part in him has almost disappeared. I fear the wolf became too strong."

"So what does that mean? And how…how did he survive until now?" She looked at Clarice while her hands tightly clasped Cináed's. They still were cold.

"The demonic part won't let him die just like that. He was fatally injured, but as he is not fully human it would take days for him to die." She closed her eyes, pinching the back o her nose.

"And what does this potion do?"

"Well, it will help his body recover and…if he indeed should survive, he would be fully human."

Georgiana gasped. "It will make him human. A real human, just like me and Isabeau and Stefanie? But that is good, isn't it?"

"If he survives. As I said, it's not sure whether it will actually work with him. It will take days. Days full of pain and agony. It will be the same like when the druid first cursed him, only that this time his body will have to recover from the injury as well. Even if it should work he may die of exhaustion. I only took it because there's nothing to lose. Without it he'll die for sure. With it there is this tiny chance that he might make it though it." The woman turned and fell into a nearby chair, burying her face in her palms.

Georgiana stroked with her thumb over the back of his hand. Coldness sneaked into her limps. It was as if a hole was building up in her chest. She took deep breaths. "So he may not survive after all."

b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b

The days passed, the sun rose and descended as it always did. She did not care. Not once had she left his rooms, stayed there night and day. Clarice and even Edmond had both tried to persuade her to come down. She rejected food, she did not talk to anyone. Edmond had often visited her, apologized for what he had done. She knew he was sorry, but still she did not react. Her attention was fixed towards the bed.

For the first two days nothing had happened. Cináed had been lying still, his skin grayish white and ice cold. She had almost lost hope.

On the third day the screams, whimpers and growls began. He moved frantically, cold sweat appearing on his forehead. It was as if he was in a fever. Everybody in the castle could hear his screams, but only Georgiana felt the agony he went through. He was suffering, but she could not help him. With every growl, with every whimper it was as if somebody drained the life out of her body. She could not sleep at night, the pictures of him lying on the stone floor of one of the dungeons haunting her night and day. And still his eyes had not opened.

This went on for three days, then he calmed once more. Again he was lying there cold and lifeless. The screams and kicks had stopped. With every day that passed he looked weaker and paler. She could only wait and hope.


	30. Never Let Go

A/N: Hey everyone! So this is the end, the last chap. It's somehow sad to end the story, but I'm happy that I managed to go through with it until the very end. Please enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 30: Never Let Go<strong>

With great delicacy she put her arms through the sleeves of the gown, carefully not to damage the fine lace. Then she stroked over the lace covered velvet of her skirts with her palms, leaving no chance for wrinkles in the expensive fabric. She did not understand why she had to wear such an exquisite dress. Its beauty did not fit the occasion at all.

"What a pity! The colour is ruining everything." Isabeau sighed heavily and closed the last buttons of the black gown on Georgiana's nape. Her discomfort was obvious. "I shall miss you a great deal."

"And I will miss you. When I first came here I dreaded the very sight of the old building, but now…I somehow feel at home here."

"Can Stefanie and I not come with you?" Her eyes were practically begging her.

"But Isa, you have your life here and so does Stefanie. And besides, I'll come and visit as often as possible."

"But you will be so far away. I won't see you for years."

Georgiana hugged her friend tightly and gave her a peck on the cheek. "I promise that I will try to come as often as possible. And I'll send you letters all the time. Some of the others can read. We will stay in contact."

"I guess that's the best I can get. I'm still going to miss you." Isabeau walked to a nearby stool and held up a purple scarf, embroidered with birds and maple leafs. "It's cold outside."

"Thank you." She wrapped the scarf tightly around herself. She tugged her hands under her elbows so that no one would see her trembling fingers. She took a deep breath and left the room.

She knew that today would not be easy. She would have to say goodbye to so many people. The mere thought provoked nausea.

When she entered the kitchen Clarice almost ran towards her, seeming agitated. "We have a problem – one of Antoine's men will attend the ceremony as well."

"But that is exactly what we've expected." She was confused.

"Yes, but what if he discovers something? As far as we know only Antoine and the men who were here that night know what happened. What if he asks how it happened, when iit happened? What if he knows something?"

"Well, we have to careful during the whole time."

Clarice's voice went lower and it was difficult to understand her words. "And the duke of Orléans has requested to be present as well. They'll both observe us closely."

Georgiana answered in an equally low tone. "If they should find out, then the king will know of it too. It won't be safe anywhere in the whole of France."

Clarice sighted. Then her eyes lit up. "I'm happy that the gown fits you. I just hope that you'll never have to wear it twice in your life, even though that is probably inevitable. Nice colour." She managed to smile a bright smile and Georgiana chuckled.

"Yours too." She actually did admire the silver and black embroidery on the elderly woman's smoky grey gown. Together they exited the kitchen and went for the gardens.

A crisp winter breeze met them outside. But for January it was a nice sunny day. The ceremony was to be held at the rose beds behind the house. Upon their arrival she saw that Adelaide was already there together with Christine and the Martin's. She managed to smile a little, but the shadow would not leave her face.

She walked up to them, leaving Clarice to talk to some of the farmer's wives, and embraced her mother and sister. Only Edmond was nowhere to be seen.

"Thank you for coming." She was so happy that she did not have to do this alone.

Christine seemed to know exactly what she was thinking and gave her hand an encouraging squeeze. "You'll never be alone."

Georgiana had related to her a few days ago all that really had happened between herself and Antoine and she had spoken to her for the first time about what actually had happened during her stay in the château. Christine had been outraged and she still felt sorry for not having realized earlier that her Georgie had gone through a lot. She of course knew as well that Georgiana could name a list of places she'd rather be right now than here. The auburn-haired girl's discomfort was almost tangible.

More people came – peasants, craftsmen, nobles and servants from the surrounding estates. All came to pay their respect to the former duke of Milan. When the priest eventually arrived the torture began.

She could not do it. She could not stay calm when the priest's words sank into her conscience. Words of death and redemption, of love and God's mercy. Once or twice a tear escaped the corner of her eye, while she stared with blank eyes as the coffin was put into the hole in the frozen ground of the flower bed. She squeezed Christine's hand and carefully looked around. With great surprise she spotted Edmond standing at a distant corner. His eyes too were on the clergyman.

Finally the funeral ended and she walked to the fair young man. He looked tired. She guessed that her own appearance was not better.

"You came."

"Yes, Michel takes care of Papa."

"I'm so happy that he gets better with every day."

"He's not the only one." He stared at her with an expression she could not read.

She knew he was sorry. Sorry for what happened in general, sorry for his own faults. She knew that, but she could not forgive him entirely. There was a conspicuous gash in their relationship and she did not know if they could ever truly trust each other again. But he still loved her and she loved him. He would always be a part of her. Her family, her friend.

"So, is this the last time we see each other?" He asked with a sign. Christine walked up to them and linked her arm through Georgiana's.

"No, I'll come over to see you all tomorrow. And I'll come and visit you whenever possible."

Christine shook her head. "But England is so far away. Are you sure you must leave?"

"There is no alternative. After all that happened it is not safe to stay here. And by leaving you I can keep you from danger."

"We don't want to be safe without you. You're a part of this family as well."

"What if the king finds out? What if he comes here?"

"But…"

"She's right, Christine." Edmond placed a hand on his sister's shoulder. Then he looked at Georgiana. "Do whatever has to be done. But don't forget to visit from time to time." He smiled at her, reminding her again of the little boy she had grown up with.

She met his smile with an equally bright one. "I promise."

They all laughed a little. "Well, at least there were not so many present as it had been the case with Antoine's funeral."

b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b&b

While walking up the stairs of the old estate she tried to take as much in as possible. The frescos on the high ceilings, the marble sculptures and busts displayed along the walls, the deep and warm colours - She would never see them again. She sneaked through the long corridors, eventually reaching the desired rooms. She pushed the doors open and looked around. She was alone. The chamber was cleaned up, no glass or sheet music on the ground, and one of the windows was open. Then she stepped inside. How many hours she had spent inside this apartment! During the last week she had barely ever left it. She smiled when she saw the piano forte, its dark wood sparkling in the January sun. She sat down on the long stool and her fingers stroked over the keys. She blushed at a certain memory.

_Flashback: _

_They had agreed to meet in his apartment in five minutes, but she could not wait any longer. Too great was her eagerness. She wanted to continue the discussion they had had the previous day. He had taught her some geography by using the globe on his desk, and when he had pointed a finger at Egypt they had began to discuss the countries long history and culture. It fascinated her to hear about distant countries from his lips. His descriptions always were so vivid. _

_When she pushed his door open she stopped mid-track. He was sitting at the piano, one hand playing with the keys, the other holding a feather and writing on an empty piece of sheet music. He seemed to be unhappy with the result, as he constantly stroke parts off, replacing them with new notes._

_She carefully sneaked in, hoping not to disturb him, but he of course knew that she was there. "Come in." He did not look up, but he did slide away, making space for her. She gladly took the seat._

_It was so interesting to watch him work. He never seemed to be satisfied with any of his notes. When it became too much she had to stop him. "No, please, leave that part. It's beautiful." _

_He chuckled. "What do you know about that? You don't know to play the piano." But his eyes had sparkled with obvious jest. That brought an idea into her mind._

_She gasped. "You could teach me!"_

"_What?" His complete bafflement had caused her to laugh._

"_No really, you could teach me."_

"_But it needs years of training until one can actually play. Do you have some knowledge in music theory?"_

"_No, but if you will teach me it won't be so hard."_

"_Why do you even want to learn?"_

_She looked at the keys, her fingers delicately brushing over them. "My mother, my real mother knew how to play. I remember her playing when we still lived in our house. I was young, but it's the most vivid memory I own of her." She snorted, then she met his eyes, pleading silently._

_He returned her glimpse for what seemed like eternity, then he nodded. "Alright, I'll play a chain of notes and you'll try to memorize them and play them in the right order afterwards." When they repeated the exercise he began to play longer chains. As the pieces grew more and more complicated she had difficulty following._

_After some unsuccessful attempts on her side he shook his head._

"_No, look. You have to do it like this…don't push the keys down, stroke them, very lightly." He put his hands on hers from behind her back. It felt like an embrace and she forgot to breathe for a few seconds._

"_That way you can control the volume. Sometimes it gives more feeling to a melody."_

_His knowing hands guided her over the keys._

_End of Flashback:_

She tried to recall the music and her fingers began to move on their own. The bitter-sweet melody brought wonderful memories back. What a nice diversion from reality.

Suddenly strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist and she felt a pair of hot lips on her nape. She sighed. No, reality was so much better! With eyes closed she leaned into the embrace. They silently held each other like this. There was no need for words.

However after some time he broke the silence. "What are you thinking right now?"

"How much I'm going to miss all of this."

"You don't have to miss it. You can stay here."

She instantly turned and looked at him. "Cináed, we talked about this. I'm coming with you." And indeed the subject had been the cause of many fights and discussions that week.

"But you won't see your family for a long time. England is not France. I cannot take you away from your home."

"My home is wherever you are." She replied in a sober voice.

He ran with his fingers through his hair. "What if you'll regret it?" He really looked concerned and then she realized that he was as nervous as she was. This was all new for him as well. Not only was he fully human after nearly a thousand years, but he also was concerned for her.

She looked down, her eyes fixed on the collar of his shirt. She could see two scars on the bottom of his throat, barely visible against his alabaster skin. Both of them were reminders of the events that had occurred a week ago. "I won't." Then she looked up at him. "I won't".

He only shook his head. "féinmharfach cailín." He whispered under his breath. The words brought a weak smile on her lips.

"I'm not the only suicidal person here. During the ceremony I…what if it had not turned out like this? We did this to fool the others, but…I was constantly reminded that it could've come true." Her voice broke. The pictures of his bloody lifeless body, the sound of his screams and groans…they were imprinted in her mind for all eternity.

He looked her in the eyes and she threatened to drown in the deep seas of mercury and silver. His hand cupped her cheek. "I'm here now. That's all that matters." Then he touched her forehead with his. She breathed in his scent and closed her eyes once more.

Yes he was there and she would never let go of him again.

**The End**

* * *

><p><span>Translation Irish-English:<span>

féinmharfach cailín: suicidal girl

* * *

><p>AN: I hope you all like the ending (I could not let him die). Thank you to everyone who read this story. Your kind reviews encouraged me to continue with it. And to the people who have never left a review: The fact that you actually read up to this point means alot to me. Thank you and I wish you all a nice day!

Sequel is now in progress ! ^_^


End file.
